Socceroos set to play upcoming World Cup qualifiers away from home

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The Socceroos’ upcoming World Cup qualifier against China will prove to be an even greater test with the match set to take place away from home.

Originally slated for Sydney’s Bankwest Stadium, the Socceroos’ opening match of the third round of the Asian Football Confederation’s qualifiers will instead be played at a neutral venue in Asia on September 2.

Efforts to secure a travel bubble that would allow the Socceroos’ travelling overseas-based players to avoid a two-week quarantine period upon their arrival in Australia have proven challenging to navigate with state and federal governments.

Australia and China are the only two countries of the 12 remaining AFC nations in the running for World Cup qualification to have faced such problems with bringing players back home.

Football Australia (FA) is considering its options in the lead up to the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but a prospective home game against China in Europe is not allowed under AFC qualifying rules.

A decision is expected next week, with UAE, Qatar and a host of South-East Asian nations being considered to stage the match.

FA Chief Executive Officer James Johnson acknowledged the challenging circumstances of losing a home game.

“Our home game in September will be away, and that’s a significant sporting disadvantage,” he said.

“If you look at home records versus away records at this level, home records count for a hell of a lot – it’s an extra player on the pitch. That’s our big challenge at the moment.”

The Socceroos’ subsequent qualifier against Vietnam will go ahead in Hanoi on September 7 as planned.

Continued discussions with government, and an eventual drop in COVID-19 cases around Australia, could potentially see the Socceroos host previously scheduled home qualifiers in October and November against Oman and Saudi Arabia.

“I’m confident that we will be playing at home by the end of the year if we can get things under control, particularly in Sydney,” Johnson said.

“We’re talking to governments trying to get similar exemptions to other countries around the world so that our sporting teams can play at home, and of course that would be under strict bubbles.

“The players wouldn’t have any interaction with the community. The transmission of Covid would be zero.

“The players are tested every day at their clubs, and they’re monitored every day. They’re already in bubbles.”

Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold flew to Dubai following the completion of the Olyroos’ Tokyo Olympics campaign and will remain in the UAE, rather than return to Australia and be forced to serve a two-week quarantine period.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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