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AFL v World Cup: 3AW Debate

Posted by: 3AW Radio | 9 December, 2009 - 9:28 AM


ABOVE: 3AW Football's Brian Taylor and Soccer Media Commentator Roy Hay have the same debate raging around sporting clubs and pubs across Australia. Should the AFL step aside for the World Cup or is FIFA and the FFA showing no respect?

This debate comes on the back of AFL boss Andrew Demetriou saying Etihad Stadium is off limits for Football Federation Australia, which has led to the FFA saying they will remove Melbourne from its proposed World Cup matches (should Australia win its bid, of course).

World Cup could 'kill clubs'

Andrew Demetriou in the studio with Neil Mitchell AFL boss Andrew Demetriou speaks to 3AW's Neil Mitchell about te very real prospect of an entire AFL season being cancelled if Australia successfully wins its bid to host the soccer World Cup. Would this 'sacrifice' be worthwhile?

Blog comments Your Say

  • 81,000 people at Stkilda v Collingwood home & away game.Say no more a soccer game in Melbourne would be lucky to attract 81 people and that would include the players. All you people raving on about how good soccer is why dont you go to watch it? At least AFL fans put their money where their mouths are and turn up to games!so if you are a REAL supporter do the same not just talk dribble once every few years when the world cup comes around!

    Darrell Thursday 22 July, 2010 - 8:41 AM
  • Shag
    Seriously mate. I am a massive AFL fan(go Demons!) but to at any stage think we ever will be called the World Game is off this planet.
    Football(soccer) has world wide appeal.
    What we have is a truly unique AUSTRALIAN game. We should be happy with that. Just as the Yanks have gridiron.
    What you say is correct re pansies etc. To me this is the whole reason "soccer" wil never take hold in our country. We do not condone the "diving" and "theatrics" that pollute soccer. Australian footballers are more likely to stand up and be too proud when they should be seking medical assistance than rolling around the ground when they have brokeb a fingernail like some EUROPEAN soccer starts.
    I state this last piece because like all Australians I love the Socceroos and I feel that they uphold the Aussie standard by not diving every time they are tackled.

    MoDazla Tuesday 13 July, 2010 - 10:16 AM
  • I'm sick to death of all these total idiots assuming English Football is the World Game, if anyone knows the history of the game, they will know it started in England and a variation of it in old Roman times and spread to the rest of Europe and the colonies. AFL is an older game and will spread as well down the track, you wait and see, people like to watch players going at it and not being total pansies for a win, if I was the coach of a football side and they dived, I would sack them on the spot, you play to win but you have to do the right thing. AFL, NRL and English Football all have fools, but I enjoy watching them all, I'm not having a go at anyone, but I despise all the bull---t associated with the World Cup, it seems like a total farce, with Sepp and the Refs, go the Orange Boys and hope the Octopus is wrong.

    Shag Saturday 10 July, 2010 - 8:30 PM
  • Martin, it is true Aussie Rules is played in many countries - but that is only a very recent development and the numbers are just over 50,000 which is still small globally. The International Cup of Australian Football is every 3 years (next 2011). The problem with the current FFA World Cup bid is it was blatently unfair to the AFL, NRL and ARU - which is why the federal govt. has taken over it.

    pH Wednesday 6 January, 2010 - 9:05 PM
  • AFL think they are able to take on the world but, it is not the case. On a world stage soccer is much larger than AFL.AFL will be lucky to cut it in Western Sydney, you watch that club sink before 2020.

    Sandy Saturday 2 January, 2010 - 8:07 AM
  • martin i think what u said is just absolute rubbish. football is the "real football" or as u like 2 say it, (soccer), and no it isnt a miner sport in asutralia its the biggest junior played sport in the country so get your facts right.

    Billy Monday 21 December, 2009 - 10:49 PM

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