Abandoned, ignored and searching - Socceroos' perilous path to the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Just after hopes about the central government in Canberra to bow to the pressure from football, or in North American English, soccer-loving fans and the FFA, the news arrived with a shocking blow: again, the government and FFA failed to finalise an agreement. That meant October will again see Australia play home away from home: its base in Doha will be again used for the qualification. No one feels more pain than Mathew Leckie, who has to shoulder a huge responsibility as the new captain of the Aussies after the retirement of Mark Milligan, the last member of the Golden Era of the 2000s. It was the pandemic restriction in Down Under that hampered the planning of the Oz for the World Cup in Qatar. During the September perpetration, Australia gathered an exclusive overseas-based squad, with only Rhyan Grant the A-League man on the odd. Australia did perform at its best, winning 3-0 and 1-0 over China and Vietnam, respectively. Yet October promised to be an even harder task for Australia....