Football Australia Seeks Resolution to Socceroos’ Jordan Friendly Amid Security Fears
Football Australia is hoping to find a resolution to the Socceroos' friendly in Jordan on November 18 after players raised security fears. Chair Anter Isaac says player safety comes first, and moving the game to Qatar is one option understood to be under consideration.
Football Australia is looking for a resolution to the Socceroos' friendly against Jordan in Amman on November 18, after players raised security concerns and some were feared ready to pull out of selection.
Chair Anter Isaac said player safety was the governing body's top priority. "Of paramount importance is the safety and security of our players and our staff," he said. "I know that the team on the ground there is working through things."
"The Qatar game goes ahead and we're hopeful that we can find a resolution for the Jordan game," Isaac added.
Players want the match moved
The Socceroos are in camp in Doha, preparing to face Qatar before travelling to Amman. Football Australia chief executive Martin Kugeler has travelled to Doha. So has Beau Busch, who heads the players' union, Professional Footballers Australia (PFA).
Busch said in a statement last week that Socceroos players "have overwhelmingly expressed their view that the Jordan match should be rescheduled or relocated."
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advises Australians to reconsider their need to travel to Jordan. It points to a stabbing in the capital and a gun attack in a church in the country's south over the last month.
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has already indicated that players who withdraw would not damage their selection hopes.
Qatar is one possible venue
One solution Football Australia is understood to be weighing is asking to move the Jordan game to Qatar. That would ease the players' fears and let the Jordanian federation save face.
Jordan's November window has already been disrupted. Indonesia withdrew from a friendly with them over the security situation.
Isaac explained that the friendlies were arranged with January's AFC Asian Cup in mind. Jordan and Qatar were finalists four years ago. The tournament has since been delayed by 11 months because of conflict in Saudi Arabia.
Legal action and unpaid match fees
The uncertainty comes amid increased tension between Football Australia and its players. Last week the PFA, acting for Socceroos and Matildas players, began legal action by subpoenaing court documents on the revenue share model written into the collective bargaining agreement. That agreement is due to expire next October.
The Socceroos have yet to be paid their match fees from the FIFA World Cup. Isaac guaranteed "all players will be paid in full."
"There's no risk to any entitlements," he said. "Ideally, we avoid that [legal action] in Australian football, and we want to continue engaging in meaningful dialogue that solves these kinds of issues."
Isaac said the PFA has a narrow, important mandate to extract wealth for elite players. Football Australia's mandate is different, he said: to invest in every level of the game, from children slipping shin pads into their socks for the first time to the Socceroos and Matildas.
