After the A-League’s
successful debut season (2005-06), football in Australia has been beset by poor
attendances, crappy TV coverage, gross financial mismanagement, debates about conflict
of interest, public spats with high profile multi-billionaires, on field
violence, and a stab in the back from FIFA.
Yep, it’s pretty much business
as usual for football down under.
But now there is a
renewed sense of optimism (not for the first time mind you) in the shape of a short,
slightly over the hill, dashingly handsome (in the most heterosexual of ways),
global footballing icon…enter Alessandro Del Piero.
Over the hill might be
a tad harsh I know. Last season Del Piero helped Juventus remain undefeated on
their way to regaining Serie A, playing in 31 games and contributing 6 goals
(two of which were game winners) along the way. Not bad for a 38 year old
playing in the third best league in Europe… that’ll piss off the entire
municipality of Leichhardt but let’s face facts - Serie A has been on a
downward slide to irrelevance ever since the weekly highlight show was taken
off the SBS Sunday morning timeslot.
While Del Piero’s
impact with the bianconeri has been experiencing the law of diminishing returns
recently, he’s certainly still got the footballing chops to assist a big name
club in their efforts to pull themselves out of the doldrums and recapture
former glories. But enough about Liverpool Football Club.
Fortunately for
Australian fans he turned his back on numerous advances from the UK, China,
Middle East and USA, and instead signed with Sydney FC - much to the delight of
every ethnic on the Eastern seaboard.
Del Piero’s signature
cost a measly $4 million, along with a handshake deal that includes all you can
eat pizza and pasta from the Italian Forum on Norton Street. It’s the largest
contract paid to a footballer of any code in Australia. For that outlay Sydney
FC and the A-League are hopeful ‘Il Pinturicchio’ can weave his brand of magic
on the park regularly, bring his club into title contention, fuel the newly
established local rivalry with Sydney United aka Western Sydney Wanderers, draw big crowds
everywhere he plays, and generally create enough of a positive buzz that the
A-League is no longer in the footballing basement.
Basically we’re hoping for
the direct opposite of the Harry Kewell experience.
No pressure son.
Standing in the way of
Del Piero’s success will be overenthusiastic centre backs ready to take a piece
of the Italian’s maestro’s shins, incompetent finishing from Sydney FC’s strike
force wasting chance after glorious chance, and playing fields that resemble the
potato farms of Northern Ireland.
Whilst I’m all for
fair play I really hope that the referees do their best to ‘protect’ Del Piero
from a physical onslaught that has the capacity to derail his Sydney stay very
quickly. And I pray that Lovrek, Powell and Co. will put away their chances lest
there be an Underbelly style hit squad
waiting outside the gates of the Sydney Football Stadium. As for the playing fields…well
two out of three ain’t bad!
Personally I can’t wait
to get out to the SFS and cheer on the little master. With the Eels suffering
in football purgatory, the Swans on the cusp of an inevitably heartbreaking
loss to Collingwood, and the Wallabies just absolutely f#cken rubbish, I’ll be jumping
on the FC bandwagon and swearing my allegiance to the Sky Blues.
Now let’s re-open the
chequebook and get Scholes and Giggs Down Under!
