Socceroos first in World Cup quest
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold declared the strength of the national team relied on a strong domestic competition as he urged officials not to forgo development amid significant cost-cutting to the A-League and clubs who have had their distributions slashed.
Arnold was on the Gold Coast where the quest to qualify for a sixth straight FIFA World Cup will begin on in September against Bahrain, the first of 10 matches in 10 months as the Socceroos try to work through what’s been called the “group of death” with battles against Japan and Saudi Arabia to follow.
The announcement came a day after it was revealed A-League clubs would receive just $530,000 from head office, down on close to $2m handed out last season and well short of the $3.6m figure in 2018 as the competition tries to recover from overspending, having blown a $140 million private equity investment.
Arnold coached in the A-League when there was a club on the Gold Coast, a short lived venture which has been one of the many backwards steps taken by the local competition.
But responding to news of the cost-cutting, Arnold implored officials to ensure the A-League remained strong.
“The domestic league is so important for the Socceroos and Matildas,” Arnold said on Thursday.
“National teams are only as strong as their domestic leagues.
“Up to the age of 16 we are as good as anywhere in the world.
“That age between 17-20, 21 - that’s when the kids need more help and more development.”
We’re going to the Gold Coast for the first time! 😍🏄♂️☀️
We'll face Bahrain at Robina Stadium in September to begin our Round Three AFC Asian Qualifiers™ – Road To 26 Qualification campaign. 👊#Socceroos#DifferentBreed#PlayGoldCoast#ExperienceGoldCoastpic.twitter.com/wwYmVYnSCg— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) July 4, 2024
Having gone undefeated through stage two of qualifying, scoring 22 goals without conceding any as new players filtered through the team, Arnold said the depth on the group hadn’t moved his expectations.
“Japan are a strong nation, ranked 16 (sic) in the world for a reason and growing, but we’re only six, seven places behind them,” he said
“It’s about going out with that mentality and believing in yourself and the boys know exactly what I want.
“My expectations and goals, I’ve already set to the players, is to top the group.
“That’s what we’re here for.”
The 10 qualifying matches the Socceroos will play will be spread out from September 2024 to June 2025 as part of the AFC Asian Qualifier.
The top two finishers in each of three groups will directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup, to be played in the USA and Mexico.
Missing the top two would force the Socceroos into sudden-death showdowns against nations outside of Asia.
Socceroos v Bahrain
Thursday, 5 September 2024
Robina Stadium, Gold Coast
Kick-off: TBC
