DHAKA: Socceroos stalwart Matt McKay says he and his teammates are committed to travelling to Bangladesh for the team’s World Cup qualifier, if it goes ahead in Dhaka, even if his wife isn’t happy about it.
Football Federation Australia (FFA) is awaiting a decision from FIFA on the status of next Tuesday’s (November 17) fixture, thrown into doubt last month after several sensational murders forced Cricket Australia to cancel its tour here.
A key security official from FIFA met a delegation of Bangladesh and Australian football associations in Dhaka to assess the situation.
Socceroos players will be advised of the verdict this week, and are aware they can ill afford to drop crucial qualification points by forfeiting, given their precarious second-placed standing in Group B behind Jordan.
McKay says the group are united in their resolve to play anywhere authorities tell them is safe.
“To be honest, my wife is a bit more worried than anybody else,” McKay said on Monday in Canberra, where the Socceroos were assembling in camp for Thursday’s match with Kyrgyzstan.
“It’s a difficult thing but, for me, the FFA and our government wouldn’t send us there if they didn’t think it was safe.
“We’re relying on them. We’ll go if we’re told it’s safe to go and we’ll get three points.
“It’s our job. We love playing for our country and we won’t give that up.
“We’re looking forward to that trip, if it’s there or wherever they take it. We’ll just wait for that decision.”
The FFA’s original request to have the match moved to a neutral venue was rejected by FIFA, with the world governing body showing no signs of changing its mind.
McKay says he is not really that worried, mainly because he and his teammates know well how extensive and experienced the Socceroos’ security team is.
“Even if it is (dangerous), we’ve got heaps of security that are great, that travel with us all the time, that are here now and who travelled with us to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan before, so we feel very safe.”
Source: theroar.com.au
BDST: 1006 HRS, NOV 10, 2015
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