Chairman praises Qantas Socceroos

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Football Federation Australia Chairman Frank Lowy, AC, said the Qantas Socceroos represented Australia with courage and pride and matched their skills with the best teams in the world.

By Rod Allen NELSPRUIT Wednesday, 23 June 2010

Football Federation Australia Chairman Frank Lowy, AC, said the Qantas Socceroos represented Australia with courage and pride and matched their skills with the best teams in the world.

Speaking after they bowed out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, Mr Lowy said the whole nation should be proud of the Socceroos- performance.

“Only 16 teams go through to the knock out rounds and it is unfortunate that we are not one of them this time but the Socceroos have further established their reputation as consistent performers at the highest international level,” Mr Lowy said.

“We will reflect on and learn from this campaign and move quickly and decisively to prepare for a range of international matches before we play in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar in January.

“In addition the 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign kicks off in the middle of next year and we have to identify and develop the next generation of Socceroos that will see us qualifying for Brazil.

“The future is extremely bright for football in Australia and our search for a new international coach is at an advanced stage and we will continue to work on a number of initiatives that we will announce soon to bolster the skills in all levels of playing and coaching in the game so we can improve on our competitiveness at this level

“I would like to thank Head Coach Pim Verbeek and his staff for doing a fantastic job in qualifying the team for the FIFA World Cup™ and the AFC Asian Cup and for his significant contribution to football in Australia.

“Finally, I would like the fans that travelled here to South Africa to support the Socceroos in their thousands and provide such an amazing atmosphere at our matches.

“They have shown the world how much Australians love football and how much support there is for the game in our country and our region.”