Socceroos veteran Mark Schwarzer remains convinced Tim Cahill did nothing wrong during team celebrations at a nightclub despite new allegations to the contrary from a bouncer.
Cahill has been accused of snatching a drink from a woman’s hand and skolling it, grabbing a bouncer by the collar and refusing repeated requests to leave the venue in Sydney’s Kings Cross last Thursday night.
But Schwarzer, who was not at the nightclub at the time, said he still accepted Cahill’s version of the events.
“I’ve spoken to Timmy at length, as have a lot of other players as well, we’ve had his version of the story and I fully support his version of the story,” Schwarzer said.
“I wasn’t there but I know Timmy and I know the circumstances behind it all and it’s all totally untrue.
“Where the story’s come from is anyone’s guess. It’s disappointing that those sort of stories come out considering the guy has done absolutely nothing wrong.”
Football Federation Australia (FFA), who have already investigated the incident and cleared their player of any wrongdoing, stood behind Cahill again on Friday.
“There’s nothing in there that wasn’t previously alleged,” FFA spokesman Bonita Mersiades told AAP.
Schwarzer labelled the allegations, outlined in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph on Friday, an example of tall poppy syndrome.
“There’s a lot of publicity around what’s happened with rugby league players and AFL players,” he said after launching a soccer-themed children’s book.
“It was inevitable that the press were out there to try and find a story on a footballer and obviously a very prominent footballer.
“Timmy’s a bit unfortunate. We understand our position that we are role models to people, but to create a story out of something that really has no substance to it is quite remarkable.
“But unfortunately that’s just the world we live in now and it’s a bit of a tall poppy syndrome.”
Schwarzer said it seemed part of generally negative treatment of the Socceroos in Sydney, which he said was a marked contrast to their reception in Melbourne, where almost 70,000 people watched them defeat Japan on Wednesday night.
“You look at the little response we received in Sydney and the negativity around certain aspects of the media in Sydney,” he said.
“To come to Melbourne and see such a positive response from the Melbourne media and also the Melbourne crowd is fantastic.
“It’s really what I envisaged to come back (to Sydney) after the Qatar game and have that sort of response.
“Unfortunately we didn’t receive that response and that recognition in Sydney.”
The FFA had received no complaints from police, the venue, the security company or the public over the Cahill incident, Mersiades added.
“On that basis, we decided not to take any action,” she said.
“We spoke with police, players who were present including Tim, and venue management in undertaking an inquiry into the matter ourselves.”
The claims from the bouncer quoted in the Daily Telegraph don’t qualify as a complaint received by the FFA, and as such aren’t worthy of further investigation, Mersiades said.
“They haven’t made them (complaints) to us. We don’t know who this person is,” Mersiades said.
“I can only repeat what I said before. Do you want me to keep repeating it?”
GeneralAshnak
Roar Pro
BTW SMH have published a piece fromm the owner of the club denying all allegations and stating that the secuirty guard made it all up to get his 5 mins of fame: http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/football/cahill-allegations-made-up-by-guard-says-hotelier/2009/06/20/1244918242500.html
The Bear
Guest
errata ...as it does in NSW.
The Bear
Guest
Kurt, NRL doesn't have it's hands so far deep into Victoria, as it does in Victoria. Regional politics. NRL have more to lose then AFL or perhaps more insecure... Rugby League writers on the DT...do your research.
jimbo
Guest
Or this one: http://www.smh.com.au/leaguehq/articles/2009/06/20/1244918226275.html
jimbo
Guest
Why isn’t News Limited running this story on the back page of their newspapers: http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/maroons-carrying-on-like-idiots/2009/06/19/1244918191803.html
jimbo
Guest
if you want to voice your thoughts, contact the two guys who wrote those shocking articles in the telegraph over the last week or two: David Riccio - Deputy Sports Editor - Daily Telegraph ricciod@newsltd.com.au 02 9288 3348 OR Adam Mobbs - Sports Sub Editor - Daily Telegraph mobbsa@sundaytelegraph.com.au
Midfielder
Guest
Look its much more a TerrOR thing than a News thing.... interesting in fact vet interesting when you consider the defense made by Breen to Alan Jones that the .... police came to an Trademark after an insistent .. If the TerrOR called the police it makes what was already hardly a story and not one to get the exposure it did.... but if the TerrOR called the police and this is what is alleged by Tradmark .. http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/105927,trademark-tims-welcome-any-time.aspx "Police only became involved after the media phoned them. They came down, looked at the CCTV video, saw there was nothing to investigate and that was it." .... Massive Massive nay mega massive law suit coming me thinks if this is true..
jimbo
Guest
The best thing to do is stop mentioning that newspaper - just ignore it. Don't buy News Limited papers and don't visit news limited websites. If it doesn't increase sales, they will stop doing it, whether the story is true or not.
tifosi
Guest
i think the daily telegraph was not really attacking the game but are pissed off that Rugby league players are getting treated as criminals everytime they go out. The article did also mention that AFL seems to get a free ride when it comes to incidents
Tom
Guest
I imagine it was Pim's decision. I would have a problem if the FFA was making a decision about curfews and drinking. If Pim took a look at a bunch of tired players and said 'whatever, go out and enjoy yourselves', then I have no problem with that.
milhouse1
Guest
Once again i will say what were the players doing out a couple of nights before the japan game??? They should be in camp and they should have had a curfew. FFA wants football in australia to be professional yet they let there players go out and drink. let them booze up all they want after the WCQ are over. Lets stop talking bout timmys night on the town and lets start talking bout rys williams and nicky carle. I was quite happy with the way they played. Carle's delivery into the box was a joy to watch. lets just hope that pim plays him in his favoured position.
Kurt
Guest
Interesting that Schwarzer specifically makes comments about the reception they received in Melbourne being better than Sydney. Given that Melburnians are the ones typically accused of being insular and anti-soccer because of their passion for Australian Rules Football, I wonder if his comments tend to knock that idea on the head. After all if there actually was a News Limited conspiracy to slander Cahill because they are 'afraid of the rise of soccer' you would have thought the Herald Sun would be in with both boots on. Perhaps just a figment of certain Roarers' fevered imaginations?