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Football flexes its new found confidence

Roar Guru
28th October, 2009
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Roar Guru
28th October, 2009
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2697 Reads
Melbourne Victory's Matthew Foschini in action against Newcastle Jets' Ljubo Milicevic during round 5 of the A-League Season, played at the Ethihad stadium in Melbourne, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. The Jets drew against Victory 1-1 after full time. AAP Image/Joe Castro

Melbourne Victory's Matthew Foschini in action against Newcastle Jets' Ljubo Milicevic during round 5 of the A-League Season, played at the Ethihad stadium in Melbourne, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. The Jets drew against Victory 1-1 after full time. AAP Image/Joe Castro

As we all await to see whether the FFA is capable of putting together a bid to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022 that is at least half credible, we remain with the uncertainty as to whether the largest sporting competitions in the land will need to shut down for up to eight weeks.

What has taken me aback the last few days are a couple of articles that have attacked the major football codes in this country with unrestrained venom, when in truth, there appears to be no good reason to do so.

Firstly, Mike Cockerill, of Fox Sport and the SMH wrote an article that accused the major football codes of causing an uproar at the news of a possible eight week shut down, and even labeled them as saboteurs.

But had there truly been any sort of reaction that warranted this sort of attack?

A few league CEOs had expressed concern at the possibility of an eight week shut down, and to be honest, you would expect no less of a CEO under those circumstances.

The AFL boss, Andrew Demetriou gave no comment except that he was awaiting further details from the FFA.

Not a word has been forthcoming form the rugby fraternity of any description.

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So it remains a mystery as to why Cockerill would choose to label the other codes as saboteurs, especially when the FFA is doing a good enough job on that front on its lonesome by completely underestimating the technical requirements of hosting the World Cup.

Then yesterday, I came across this online article in The World Game by Phillip Micallef.

If we can charitably describe Cockerill’s article as premature, we can label Micallef’s as absolutely venomous.

He opens with this statement: “rugby league’s feral mentality was at its height of hysteria …”

Micallef goes on to use offensive terms such as: insular, chest beating frenzy, boofhead, narrow minded, fools and head in the sand.

If that wasn’t enough insulting language for one day, he closes with: “… rugby league could stage half a dozen tin pot World Cups of its own.”

Quite vicious, even if it is slightly unoriginal.

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But two questions that come immediately to mind:
1. What on Earth has the NRL, and league supporters generally, done to deserve this sort of treatment?
2. Is it smart of someone who is interested in promoting football?

The answer to the first question is “nothing.”

The answer to the second question is, “probably not.” But it’s even more complicated than that.

League is a huge sport in NSW and Queensland, two markets where one could argue the A-League is underperforming.

SFC has never got back to the healthy crowds it attracted in its first season (which ultimately bore a championship).

The Roar’s attendance figures have gone from bad to worse over the course of the last few years, while their near neighbours, GCU, have become an absolute laughing stock of Australian sport (while at the opposite end of the spectrum, league clubs the Broncos and the Titans rule this part of Queensland).

So why would a pro-football journalist be so keen to denigrate league?

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Part of the answer is to be found in the new confidence Frank Lowy has brought to all football lovers across the country. They have been uplifted by an influential figure, a talisman, who is intelligent and has plenty of business acumen and foresight.

This has been compounded by the current close relationship with FIFA, in the lead up to the deadline for putting a bid in to host the World Cup.

This has enraptured and emboldened football fans who for the most part are imagining that FIFA will walk into the country and crush the AFL and NRL forever on their behalf, or at the very least, take over Parliament, and pass legislation that winds them down as corporate entities.

Football fans across the country have a new sense of confidence, of being able to stand up to the school yard bully – with the help of their older brother from the secondary school across the road who happens to be momentarily passing by.

But older brothers are notoriously unreliable, and generally don’t really give a damn about their kid brother, especially when other adventures await, where there are more important people to impress, who offer far more cachet.

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