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Croatia eyeing another rising Aussie
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) -- Croatia's soccer federation has its eye on another Australian-born player of Croatian descent, news reports said Wednesday.
Croatian soccer chief Vlatko Markovic is interested in 17-year-old Mathew Spiranovic for the World Cup-bound Croatian national squad, reported leading sports daily Sportske Novosti.
The Croatian soccer federation declined to comment.
Spiranovic, who was recently accepted into Australian Institute of Sport development program, is described as a robust striker with exceptional dexterity on and off the ball.
The interest in Spiranovic is expected to rekindle tensions between Croatia and Australia, who have been drawn together in Group F of this year's World Cup in Germany. Also in the group are Japan and five-time champion Brazil.
Croatia and Australia have already clashed over loyalties.
The Croatian team presently has three players -- Joey Didulica, Anthony Seric and Joe Simunic -- who opted to represent the country of their origin rather than the country of their birth.
Australia, a multicultural haven for millions of immigrants, made it to the World Cup after a 32-year hiatus and is eager to stem the flow of its homegrown talent offshore.
Some critics in Australia have called on sports authorities to prohibit Australian-raised athletes from representing other countries or force them to return funds invested in their development.
What annoys me most about this is Australian tax payers(like me) pay for these kids to get world class training at the AIS only for them to be taken by a country were there nanna or someone used to live, **** ..... if every aussie kid with ancestors from another country was poached we wouldn't have any athletes left.
Croatia eyeing another rising Aussie
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) -- Croatia's soccer federation has its eye on another Australian-born player of Croatian descent, news reports said Wednesday.
Croatian soccer chief Vlatko Markovic is interested in 17-year-old Mathew Spiranovic for the World Cup-bound Croatian national squad, reported leading sports daily Sportske Novosti.
The Croatian soccer federation declined to comment.
Spiranovic, who was recently accepted into Australian Institute of Sport development program, is described as a robust striker with exceptional dexterity on and off the ball.
The interest in Spiranovic is expected to rekindle tensions between Croatia and Australia, who have been drawn together in Group F of this year's World Cup in Germany. Also in the group are Japan and five-time champion Brazil.
Croatia and Australia have already clashed over loyalties.
The Croatian team presently has three players -- Joey Didulica, Anthony Seric and Joe Simunic -- who opted to represent the country of their origin rather than the country of their birth.
Australia, a multicultural haven for millions of immigrants, made it to the World Cup after a 32-year hiatus and is eager to stem the flow of its homegrown talent offshore.
Some critics in Australia have called on sports authorities to prohibit Australian-raised athletes from representing other countries or force them to return funds invested in their development.
What annoys me most about this is Australian tax payers(like me) pay for these kids to get world class training at the AIS only for them to be taken by a country were there nanna or someone used to live, **** ..... if every aussie kid with ancestors from another country was poached we wouldn't have any athletes left.
