“Fossie”, this is no time to get rid of

Ben Buckley and Frank Lowy

Let me make something clear straight off the top - I am a fan of Craig Foster.

A more patriotic, “blood and guts” Socceroo you could not find and as a football analyst and an advocate for the game in this country he has no peer.  Johnny Warren would be resting easily knowing that in “Fossie” his spirit still lives. For me no higher accolade can be bestowed on anyone in the game.

Having said that I have an itch that I need to scratch and on this occasion “Fossie” is the flea.

In short I have a problem with “Fossie’s” ‘Target Ben Buckley and Nursing Home for Frank Lowy’ campaign in the aftermath of Australia’s World Cup bid failure.

The thrust of his campaign is that Buckley lacks the passion because he is not one of us and should go; Lowy is too old and showed disrespect to a couple of legendary Socceroos so he should be transitioned out (incontinence bag and all) and more former players should be calling the shots at the FFA.

Let me address the last point first.

Since 1993 the Diegos have interviewed literally hundreds of Australian footballers at home and abroad and loved every minute of getting to know them, their thoughts on the game and an idea of what it’s like to be playing at the top level. They are a source of pride for us in victory and defeat and some of the best moments in our lives are as a result of their magnificent performances for Australia.

Players are good at what they do – playing the game. They are passionate, dedicated and committed to being the best they can be on the field of play.  They love playing for their country and we know about the enormous sacrifices they have to make to pull on the Green and Gold.  Players at the top level are elite athletes who have been born with or have developed a talent to play the game. Not all are tactically aware and not all are that coachable. They are just really good at what they do.

For many, without football they would be living unremarkable lives. When the boots are hung up and the jock strap is folded away some go on to have successful careers in coaching, in the media or in business. But the question is - are there any former players that can do a better job running the FFA and all that it entails (which includes a World Cup bid, a Socceroos World Cup campaign and a national competition in a sophisticated and cluttered sports market) than Ben Buckley and Frank Lowy? 

We saw this week that after 18 months Sydney Rovers, a proposed expansion team headed by a consortium of football people who have forged successful careers in business, fall over because it was unable to raise the required $5 million licence fee. These weren’t fruit shop owners. This was a consortium lead by the likes of Ian Rowden, former Young Socceroo and Saatchi and Saatchi marketing guru and Charlie Yankos, my all time favourite Socceroo and successful businessman in his own right.

I’m not denigrating the efforts of Ian and Charlie, in fact I applaud them for having a go but it made me ask the question - if these celebrated business minds could not rustle up enough cash to get a new A-League team up in West Sydney – the heartland of Australian football – how could they ever run the FFA? “Fossie” might know other former footballers who could but I find it hard to believe that they would be better credentialed than these guys.  

Yes the A-league is struggling and yes we were blindsided in our quest to get the 2022 World Cup but could any former footballers have done a better job? Are there any with the courage and vision to bid for the cup in the first place; source $45 million from the Federal government needed to fund it; endure and complete tough negotiations with other codes; and garner more than one vote in a political process that was at best dodgy? Also, could they have done all this and also ensured that the A-League flourished back home and the Socceroos were in good shape for a World Cup?

The fact is, no Australian sport has ever had to bid for the biggest sporting event in the world and simultaneously run a truly national domestic club competition and national team World Cup campaign. The AFL, NRL and Cricket Australia have never had to do it and they are the biggest, most financial and resource rich sporting organisations in the country.

“Fossie” is right, Ben Buckley hasn’t played the game and he is not a passionate media performer but does that mean he is not passionate about his job or where he wants the game to be? Do you honestly think that Frank Lowy, the man who singlehandedly rescued the game and has poured millions of his own into it, would appoint someone to the role of CEO of the FFA if he wasn’t convinced he wasn’t the right man for the job?

Ben Buckley is an elite sports administrator who has just undergone a crash course in FIFA politics and the machinations of world football at the top level courtesy of our failed World Cup bid.  It was a painful lesson but the knowledge and experience gained can now be used to help the game grow to another level. Which former player or anyone else for that matter brings this type of experience to the table? It makes no sense to get rid of him now.

What the game needs now are experts in administration, marketing, game development and community engagement. We need to win mainstream hearts and minds. Players will play their part, but not in running the game. They will be the heroes and the source of great inspiration for the next generation of young kiddies.

Yep...Buckley and Lowy took their eye off the A-league ball but does that mean they should be replaced, and if so, by who?

Craig has already ruled himself out because of his lack of experience in running sport.  “Fossie”, should we now ask Harry Kewell, Craig Moore, Les Scienflug or Zeljko Kalac?  

Carlos Alberto Diego

Soccer is as Australian as it gets

Four Diegos 'Soccer Hater of the Month' Award goes to those in the media who, whilst entitled to their opinion, the Diegos like to expose for being unashamed, overt haters of the world game.

Winners of this award tend to hold privileged positions in that they have the opportunity to shape the opinion of a radio, TV or print audience of many millions daily. They get paid to fuel biases, be provocative and tap into deep prejudices all in the name of freedom of speech and the right to express an opinion.

Commercial realities dictate that these people need ratings and to peak public debate to stay alive. Their performance and ability to keep their highly paid jobs are measured by AC Neilson media rating figures, talkback calls, emails and sms.

A favourite topic rehashed over and over by Soccer Haters in the media is that the game of soccer is 'unAustralian', 'wogball' if you like, and that it will never gain a foothold in the Australian market.  The fact that according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Sweeny surveys and AC Neilson ratings for over a decade, soccer/football has already secured a deep and permanent foothold in the Australian market seems to have been missed or ignored by their teams of producers and researchers.

Soccer Haters in the media love the topic because it’s guaranteed to get a massive response without much work or real understanding. Big responses to this topic translate to ratings and yes more money through advertising and maybe a contract upgrade when negotiations with their employers come around.

They have no care that this debate perpetuates cultural stereotypes, feeds xenophobic attitudes and divides the public. In fact they love that it does ....very clever especially when the listener, viewer or reader numbers are down.....or Radio MTR comes along.

Our winner this month is 3AW Melbourne radio show host Neil Mitchell, author of the article JUST A SOCCER RUSE in the Herald Sun in Melbourne on Thursday July 1 2010 (see below). In his article he argues that soccer will never become a premier sport in Australia because it does not reflect the nation's values and the unique Australian culture.

Now I as a Diego don't have Mr. Mitchell's money. I don't have Mr. Mitchell's high rating radio show or social, public or political connections. I don't have his weekly column in Australia's highest selling newspaper and I probably don't have his intelligence.

I have no right to position myself as the man of the people as Mr. Mitchell does....hell I don't even have his hair! But one thing I can match him on is that I am just as much an Australian as what he is and guess what ....I love soccer.

Strange thought that - an Australian loving soccer.

That is an Australian from Italian descent who has been a Western Bulldogs member all his life. An Australian who has worked with other Indigenous Australians and culturally marginalised, new arrival and refugee groups teaching about Australian values across all sports including AFL, Cricket, Rugby, Basketball and Soccer.

An Australian who was shaped forever as a kid watching the brave 1974 Socceroos play in their first World Cup and bursting with pride at the inspirational performances of the current generation of Socceroos in both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

An Australian who is proud in the knowledge that hundreds of thousands of Australian families from diverse backgrounds, yes including an enormous number of those from anglo backgrounds, come together and unite weekly throughout the country to support the game of soccer at all levels from grassroots to the A-League.

An Australian who has witnessed the presence of great Australian values of respect, teamwork, loyalty, fair play and leadership displayed through the game of soccer daily in our schools and weekly in the many hundreds of soccer clubs throughout our nation.

Soccer ‘unAustralian’? There’s plenty of evidence that it isn’t. The opposite is true - its as Australian as it gets.

Hey Neil before you go with this as your next talkback topic why not venture out of your studio, the leafy suburb where you live and go and watch some soccer games. You'll find that you will encounter a cross section of the real Australia and you’ll see Australian values are thriving my friend.  

Carlos Alberto Diego