Humility a key ingredient of Asian Cup campaign

Well done, Tim Cahiil. He is a good man.

As the news in Qld gets worse and worse, this most definitely isn't a time for anyone to point score about who is going to do more. I have little doubt that the sports bodies, and their members, will do whatever they can in the next few weeks/months.

Perhaps if you could give us some examples of how the national cricket side, our Hopman Cup team and others that are in season are donating match fees and the like it may provide some context. As I'm out of Australia I'm largely unware of any such efforts.

Yes, that is a good point and a valid argument -- in cases where the issue would be otherwise forgotten if people dont raise awarness of it, such as breast and prostate cancer etc. However, the flood issue is top of the news agenda every night for the past week and will be for a few days more at least. In fact, the public came up up with 10.5 million last night alone. So that argument doesnt hold water, if you will pardon the pun. My point is, and i will say it again, is that if you want to give, do so quietly. That is what all the wise men say. But if your making a noise when giving serves a greater purpose then do so. But is a signed t-shirt really the best the Socceroos can do? Why not make a proper gesture and sacrfice if you're going to do so publicly? Yes, we do not know and will never know whether and how many of them give privately. But if you want to go public, then do so properly instead of making a half-baked gesture and calling it generous. That sort of cycnical, pointscoring exercise to pormote their own image is what i am railing about. And Twatter, stop calling me names. It shows a lack of manners and your vacuity.

The point of sports sides undertaking such actions, regardless of the sport, is to signal the need for community responses to community problems. They act as catalysts for action, rather than being actions in their own right. The actual amount of money they raise even if all fees were donoted is trifle. What they do well though is maintain a higher community profile for charity which increases the tolerance level of tax payers for government funding to be diverted to those in need. Hence if compassion is maintained at a high enough level within a community (say, Australia), then the willingess of the community (via its elected representatives) to expend resources on specific issues is enhanced. Keep the issue alive in people's mind and increase their empathy, this is the point of the exercise. The mere fact you are talking about it means it works.

Im really asking myself does this person genuinely care whether the players donate match payments to charity , or does this person not want a footballer to earn money out of this tournament. Believe me it's F###all. Only you know. Just a general observation the bushfires in Victoria in Feb 2009 i witnessed two sporting bodies race through flames to get to the media to promote their sports though you dont bat an eyelid at that. As an Australian i was truely embarrassed by thier actions.

Of course I will: a proud Socceroos follower since 1974. As for my comparing EPL wages with A-League, when did I do that? If it is point B above, if your comprehension skills were any good, you would know that I was comparing a leading Australian soccer player with that of an Australian national cricketer, not an A-League player.

Then how would you or i know if they donated at all and why should i. Do donations have to be certified or cleared by you. You just don't get it you've come onto a football thread and called our national team scabs. You're now asking youreself what have i done wrong , you PLONKA. Again any form of gesture by the socceroos was never going to appease you. We all know you'll be cheering them on in Qatar.

My argument, as you have obviously not understood it, is not about money per se but about fakeness and greed. I have no problem with people earning money; I am against false public displays that try to fool the majority. Also, if you want to talk or write on a public site, for heaven's sake please learn some basic English. Your language is as confused as your mind.

To be fair - what has the AFL and NRL or its players donated to the relief fund - do you know? Or the ACB and the cricket team? Why are you focusing on the Socceroos? A lot of people donate anonimously, so it would be impossible to compare.

To Shahsan. Its past you're bed time go to sleep. As ive said all along its just been purely money from you, you're obsessed with it. You dont understand Football T Cahill earns more money than an A League player its called global Football something you obviously no nothing about comparing salaries form the E.P.L. and the A League illustrates you no nothing about Football. Now grab you're dummy and hop into to bed it's past youre bedtime.

Well said DASILVA an intelligent and rational comment.

This is where, I guess, the generosity of the richer members of the team towards their "poorer" teammates would come into it. But I'm sorry, I guess that is asking too much. I forgot that, in soccer, it is each man for himself.

Hypothetically, if the donations were made privately, how would the A-League players know about them?

IF all the socceroos were rich than donating your match fees would be ok However when there are A-league players in the squad who earn a fraction to what regular AFL and cricketers players get, it's not really feasible to have one group of players donating their entire match fees and other players not. The money may be insignificant to the superstars but they may be significant to the A-league players. The whole purpose of the T-shirt is to have a unified front from the entire squad supporting the flood victim Therefore the super rich Football player can donate what they want in private but I wouldn't force the entire squad to publicly ceased their match fees when there's a huge disparity in what the kewell and Cahill makes compared to a Kruse, McKay

Good comeback, Granted, isn't life about having a bit of a laugh

What you've got to remeber is what about the likes of Robbie Cruise M.L.B victory and Matt Mckay from Brisbane their not multi millionaires they play in the A League and earn less then most N.R.L. and A.F.L. players. Think outside the square not every footballer walks away from this sport with $50 million. Hypothetically what if some socceroos donated privately $ 1 - 3 million how would the A League players feel inside that group.

Everything you have posted has been directly linked with socceroos earning more money than other codes ( calling them tightarses in you're fisrt blog) and now again you're reminding anybody they earn more money than most other codes in this country ,who cares probarbly apart from you. Youre comments that Australians arent even known in Europe is fascinating Mark Schwarzer was recently tried to be purchased by the Arsenal Football Club (heard of them) you may have noticed when H. Kewell and L. Neill went to Galatasaray they were mobbed at the airport do i need to remind you about T. Cahill know as the best 18 yard goal poacher in english football. Also i would have thought the socceroos would still have strong emotional tie to Australia being away from this country for over a decade remember they are Australians although they appear to you to be filthy rich ,greedy,and an advertisers dream. I feel sorry for you a gesture of goodwill from any Australian sporting team would set you alight You NARC.

A. The Pink Day is more to create public awareness and to raise funds community wide to find a cure for a disease that kills thousands if not millions of women every year. The gesture required for the flood victims is not a yearly ongoing event. B. The average high-level cricketer makes a tiny fraction of what journeymen footballers (Europeean based, I concede) make every year. Kewell, Cahill etc probably makes in a month if not a week what an Australian player makes in a year. C. My argument is that, on balance, the signed t-shirt donation is more self-serving and self-promotional than involving any genuine hardship on the players' part. A far better gesture would be to donate, say, their match fees for the Asian Cup tounament. No major hardship on their part but a lot of money in all and a genuine sacrfice made. This of course on top of private donations they may or may not make (all written off when they do their taxes, of course).

Yeah sorry James I was being sarcastic, I do that sometimes. Of course it was a good thing, it helps raise awareness, I am sure all footballers like most people donate to various charities and for Shashan to have a go at the Socceroos for this is poor form.