Jun
21
Australia Getting The Dirty Deal
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One team that has been particularly unlucky when it comes to bad refereeing decisions this tournament have been Australia, something which has spilled over from Germany 06. Last time around, one of the most controversial penalties you’ll ever see against captain Lucas Neill handed Italy progression to the quarter-finals, sending the Socceroos home. This competition, it almost seems like their best players are being deliberately sent off.
Australia had two star-men heading into the tournament – Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill. For the first game vs. Germany, the former was injured, while the latter got sent off for a tackle few other referees would have given such a harsh punishment for. With Cahill suspended for the Ghana game, Kewell managed to get himself fit and start for the Australians – only to get sent off himself after the ball struck his arm on the goal-line. Another decision which you feel might have been the correct call to give a penalty, but administering the red card to their best player for something he clearly couldn’t control is nothing short of absurd.
It leaves Australia on the brink of going out in the group stage, and while in all fairness they haven’t played well, they also didn’t deserve this horrible luck from referees they keep getting. Their last chance is the game against Serbia, and besides trying to win, they also need to focus on actually finishing the game with 11 men. One wonders which will be harder.