• Email Us: [email protected]
  • Contact Us: +1 718 874 1545
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Medical Market Report

  • Home
  • All Reports
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Soccer-I would never force players to pick Socceroos, says coach Arnold

October 2, 2021 by David Barret Leave a Comment

October 2, 2021

By Michael Church

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Coach Graham Arnold has said he will not force anyone to play for Australia over other nations as he revealed Gianni Stensness has yet to receive official clearance to complete his switch from New Zealand to the Socceroos.

Stensness declared last week his intention to change allegiance to Australia having represented New Zealand at the Olympic Games – a move All Whites coach Danny Hay called a “kick in the guts”.

The Australia-born 22-year-old, who was eligible to play for New Zealand through his father, was not included in Hay’s 21-man squad for October friendlies against Curacao and Bahrain and decided to represent Australia at senior level, said New Zealand Football.

Administrative delays have kept the defender out of the Australian squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Oman and Japan, but Arnold revealed he had been in discussions with Stensness – a near-neighbour in Sydney – for some time.

“I spoke to him three days ago and we’re still waiting for the paperwork from FIFA for his clearance that he can play for Australia,” said Arnold.

“It’s very fortunate that he lives in the same area as me and we caught up and we’ve had those discussions about him playing for Australia and he’s chosen to play for Australia.”

Stensness could be joined in future Socceroos squads by Dinamo Zagreb’s Deni Juric, who is also being pursued by Croatia, with Arnold looking to strengthen his squad as the Australians attempt to qualify for a fifth straight World Cup.

“At the end of the day it’s his decision,” said Arnold. “Which country, which badge he puts on his heart is going to feel the right badge.

“I’d never force anyone to do something that they don’t really believe in because if I do that then they’re not going to feel comfortable in that shirt and they’re not going to give 100 percent if they’re forced into it.”

Australia have won their last 10 World Cup qualifying matches in a row and go into the meeting with Oman on Oct. 7 with six points from their opening two games in the final phase of Asia’s preliminaries for the 2022 World Cup.

Arnold’s team defeated China and Vietnam in their first two qualifiers and face an Oman side that handed Japan a shock 1-0 loss in their opening game in Osaka last month.

The Socceroos are also due to take on Japan at Saitama Stadium on Oct. 12, and Arnold has selected a 25-man squad that sees Melbourne Victory’s Chris Ikonomidis join Rhyan Grant as the only Australia-based players on the roster.

“The confidence and the belief, they’re building in the boys. They’re starting to believe they can win every game, which is fantastic and that’s what I’d expect of the boys when they come into camp,” said Arnold.

“It’s one game at a time and there’s a strong belief in what their qualities are.”

Australia Squad

Goalkeepers: Mathew Ryan, Lawrence Thomas, Danny Vukovic

Defenders: Aziz Behich, Milos Degenek, Rhyan Grant, Trent Sainsbury, Harry Souttar, Ryan McGowan, Callum Elder, Fran Karacic

Midfielders: Jackson Irvine, Kenneth Dougall, Denis Genreau, Ajdin Hrustic, James Jeggo, Aaron Mooy, Tom Rogic, Riley McGree, Daniel Arzani, Chris Ikonomidis

Forwards: Martin Boyle, Mitchell Duke, Awer Mabil, Adam Taggart.

(Reporting by Michael Church; Editing by Michael Perry)

Source Link Soccer-I would never force players to pick Socceroos, says coach Arnold

David Barret
David Barret

Related posts:

  1. Dollar weakens after U.S. payrolls miss
  2. U.S. retail sales unexpectedly rise in August; weekly jobless claims climb
  3. U.S. business inventory accumulation slows in July
  4. Rugby-All Blacks seek perfection as Argentina limp to finish

Filed Under: News

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • “Every Species On The Planet Self-Medicates In Some Way”: How Wild Animals Use Medicine
  • Deepest Complex Ecosystem Ever Discovered 10 Kilometers Below The Sea, 892-Kilometer “Megaflash” Lightning Sets New World Record, And Much More This Week
  • The Life And Death Of David Vetter, The Boy Who Lived His Whole Life In A Bubble
  • Time’s Arrow Within Glass Appears To Go Both Ways, Raising Huge Questions
  • World’s “Oldest Baby” Born From Embryo Frozen In 1994 In New World Record
  • What Can Spain’s “Tunnel Of Bones” Tell Us About The Fate Of Human Species On The Brink Of Extinction?
  • Rhino Horns Go Radioactive As Anti-Poaching Project Gets Off The Ground
  • Manta Rays Officially Get Third New Species – 15 Years After First Suspected
  • “Space Hurricanes” Are Happening At Earth’s Poles – And They Can Affect GPS Signals
  • There Is A Crucial Reason Why We Will Never See The Big Bang Directly With Our Telescopes
  • How Does An MRI Machine Work?
  • Catch A Glimpse Of One Of The World’s Rarest Sharks In Dreamy New Footage
  • A One-Shot Vaccine For HIV Might Actually Be On The Cards
  • Chikungunya Virus Is Spreading In China: As CDC Considers Travel Advisory, Here’s What To Know
  • First-Of-Its-Kind Vagus Nerve Implant Gets FDA Approval As A Therapy For Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • First Time Crystal Made Of “Exotic” Giant Atoms 1,000 times Larger Than Hydrogen
  • Prehistoric Humans Began Eating Tubers 700,000 Years Before Our Teeth Evolved To Do So
  • The World’s Oldest Wild Bird “Surprised” Everyone With A Hatched Chick At 74
  • “Spectacular” New Species Of 40cm Giant Stick Insect May Be Australia’s New Heaviest Insect
  • What Is “Nobel Disease”, And Why Do So Many Prizewinners Go On To Develop It?
  • Business
  • Health
  • News
  • Science
  • Technology
  • +1 718 874 1545
  • +91 78878 22626
  • [email protected]
Office Address
Prudour Pvt. Ltd. 420 Lexington Avenue Suite 300 New York City, NY 10170.

Powered by Prudour Network

Copyrights © 2025 · Medical Market Report. All Rights Reserved.

Go to mobile version