Shock Socceroo defeat

Press, 28 November 1988, Page 13

Shock Socceroo defeat

NZPA-AAP Nadi The Socceroo coach, Frank Arok, has ordered a week-long emergency training camp to prepare for a return match against Fiji, in Newcastle on Saturday, in a desperate bid to keep alive Australia’s 1990 World Cup hopes. The move follows a shock 1-0 loss to the under-rated South Pacific side, in Nadi on Saturday, in the first of two elimination games to determine who will enter the competition’s Oceania playoffs. The Socceroos will lose their shot for Italy unless they can score two clear goals over Fiji at Newcastle. With this weighing heavily on his mind and

reputation, Arok went through the unpleasant process of post mortem yesterday before the team was due to fly back to Sydney. Arok also criticised the New Zealand referee, Gary Fleet, of Wellington, for allegedly turning a blind eye to foul play by Fiji even though the Fiji captain, Pita Dau, received a yellow card for using an elbow in a tackle. “We were unfit and out of form,” he said. “But we have six days to get back refreshed and in shape. So I have ordered a camp. “It is going to be a very long week full of anxiety.” In comparison, the ex-

hilarated Fiji coach, Billy Singh, was full of confidence to the point of toying with the idea of using Newcastle to experiment with several newcomers to his squad which remains undefeated in 11 games, including three against New Zealand earlier this month. While Fiji players and officials are celebrating Saturday’s victory as the greatest moment in the 50-year history of soccer in Fiji, Arok has described it as the worst in his six as national coach. “It was embarrassing,” he said. “But when we beat Fiji on Saturday and make it to the second round, it will be just an ugly and

unimportant hiccup.” The bitter pill for the Socceroos at the week-end was the team’s inability to break Fiji’s defence and capitalise on at least seven chances, primarily by Scott Ollerenshaw, Mike Petersen and Oscar Crino. “If we had been up to our normal standard, we would have slipped in maybe three goals,” Arok said. Deflecting blame from his players, Arok criticised former officials in the Australian Soccer Federation (A.S.F.) executive who negotiated the two-game series to fall more than two months after the end of the Australian season.