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Uruguay's Dario Rodriguez tackles Australia's Nick Carle during the Australia versus Uruguay soccer match. AAP Image/Dean Lewins
Last week I submitted an article titled “Why football struggles for support in Australia.” It proved a reasonably popular read, no doubt due to its provocative title, with most readers probably expecting the usual diatribe about “capital-bases”, “expansion” and “membership drives”.
What they found, though, was an attempt to explain the problem in terms of values.
My central contention was that the A-League will never be the number 1 sport in Australia while Australian viewers regularly see “bad behaviour” from its biggest stars, both here and overseas, on the field.
The biggest problem I felt was the practice of diving, or “simulation”, as pundits like to call it.
As is appropriate, the article seemed to polarise Roar readers.
After all, football is a passionate game and elicits such responses. Some very good points were made, the key one being that ALL sports struggle for fans in Australia, one I failed to acknowledge.
What struck me as interesting was the fact that most of the negative responses focussed on attacking other sports.
A shame, but not a surprise when one considers the religious zeal with which the game is worshipped.
I felt somewhat vindicated then, to read Kevin Muscat’s spray this morning (Fri 16/4) about what he feels are the inherent flaws in the Asian Champions League.Muscat referred to “…people going down left, right and centre”, in reference to the series of dives the Beijing Guoan players indulged in (most disappointing was seeing Australian Joel Griffiths get in on the act. He really should know better).
Muscat went on to say: “I can understand why people don’t come and watch” in reference to the poor crowd at the game. I hate to say I told you so … but I told you so.
Now I know Kevin Muscat is not the most popular of players outside of Melbourne.
But let’s get real: he is a former regular Socceroo, has played in the EPL and has continued his top form back home.
He knows a thing or two about football.
Let’s say he is more qualified than any of us “wannabes” to pass judgement on what he thinks works from a football perspective.
I would say he is more qualified than any of the journalists who have lined up to criticise him (Michael Cockerill et al) or officials who threaten to sanction him (Ben Buckley).
It always amazes me that players are considered the least qualified to provide insights into the state of their sport.
The diving which occured in the Victory Vs Beijing Guoan match was atrocious. It served as the best possible advertisement for OTHER sports.
“ABC Breakfast” host, Virginia Trioli, perhaps providing the most salient perspective of those people the A-League is trying to attract – the casual fan – expressed similar sentiments to Muscat when saying the FFA could not expect people to go to games if that is what they are going to see.
Let’s remember also, this is not the first time we have heard this.
Vince Grella uttered similar words after Australia’s exit from the 2007 Asian Cup when he said “…there were guys rolling around all over the place every time we played.”
Funny that in both Muscat’s and Grella’s cases the media and FFA officialdom chose to criticise them rather than take on board what they were saying. Sour grapes?
Nah, I don’t think so. Just men sick and tired of playing with boys.
And this is the heart of the matter.
Craig Foster, Michael Cockerill, Ben Buckely, all one-eyed football fans, listen up. I am going to say this loud and clear so you can hear it – AUSTRALIANS HATE DIVING.
There is little you can do about it.
For whatever reason, it is just an intrinsic part of our cultural fabric. No one likes a whinger.
Perhaps the FFA and the A-League just has to accept that football in Australia will always have a limited appeal.
The FFA can not ever hope to change the cultural make-up of other countries where the practice of diving is acceptable, so perhaps they need to concede their lot and just make the A-League the best little league it can.
I for one would much prefer to watch players of slighly lesser skill levels play with heart and honesty than the over-paid prima donnas prancing around the Italian and Spanish leagues.
Wake up and smell the coffee, you Craig Fosters of the world.
The A-League has probably reached its peak and has done very well in an already over-crowded sporting market.
I will watch it as it seems to be the only league without diving.
And I’m sorry: if I want to watch diving, I’d prefer to watch Matthew Mitcham do it properly than Cristiano Ronaldo do it dishonestly.
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