Bob Marley’s Adelaide City connection; State soccer hub progresses; Ex-Socceroo in for FFA gig; Don celebrates 80 years
Former national champion Adelaide City has revealed its ties with a reggae legend, while plans for a $26 million SA soccer hub step up and an ex-Socceroo emerges as a frontrunner for a coveted role, all in our 90 Minutes column.
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Adelaide City has a strong connection with a Hollywood great and a world famous musician.
Actor Kurt Russell and the late reggae king Bob Marley hold positions with the club and another actor Anthony La Paglia played at Kensington.
Best MP Frank Pangallo was Adelaide City’s match day magazine editor during its national soccer league heyday.
He recalls when Russell and Marley were made honorary lifetime members in the 1970s and 1980s.
Pangallo was also a media adviser for the club and was on the management committee.
“Kurt Russell came to Adelaide to promote “Elvis” the movie,’’ Pangallo said.
“I interviewed him and we were talking sport and I told him about the Adelaide City soccer club and he liked talking about the club so I said “can I interest you in becoming one of the life members?” and he said “by all means.”
Looking forward to seeing @ziggymarley @WOMADelaide 2020.
— Frank Pangallo MLC (@FrankPangallo) November 20, 2019
Will be 40 yrs since his dad Bob came to town.I drove Bob to @AdelaideCityFC at Kensington for a kick with star striker Dixie Deans & legendary coach Rale Rasic.We also made Bob a life member of the club #saparli pic.twitter.com/8N29lHfJ95
“Someone has got the picture of Kurt Russell with the Adelaide City shirt on his chest, he was on the front page of our match day magazine at the time.
“And then there was Bob Marley too, we made him a life member.”
Plans for a new $26 million soccer hub at Gepps Cross are back in motion.
Football South Australia has released the detailed design tender for the State Centre of Football, which will be built on 15ha of vacant land at the State Sports Park.
The project was announced in February 2018, after the governing body received an initial $19 million State Government funding to construct stage one.
But an FSA spokesman said the plans will proceed with a view to work starting later next year.
It will also feature a gym, education centre, kitchen, administration space, meeting rooms and SA soccer museum.
A former Socceroo with extensive contacts that also had a major role in football administration is among two hot candidates for Football Federation Australia’s head of national performance which was recently vacated by Luke Casserly.
And we don’t think it’s Reds football director Bruce Djite.
But then again.
This man (we’ll keep him a mystery for now) has company to win the gig as an FFA employee is also keen for arguably the most important role in the game at the moment.
US import Mallory Weber has had to adjust to more than just living in a different country since joining Adelaide United’s W-League side this season.
But Weber said getting used to the balls used in Australia’s women’s top flight, which differ to those in America’s National Women’s Soccer League, has also proved challenging.
“We’re playing with a different ball than I do in the US,” said Weber, on loan from US outfit Utah Royals.
“Getting used to the weight of that – it’s a lot lighter – has been completely different.
“I find that it really flies and I usually don’t miss over the crossbar.
“So that’s my focus in training.”
The W-League uses footballs made by English manufacturer Mitre.
NWSL balls meanwhile, come from US sports equipment giant Nike.
It can be safe to say no-one could ever argue that Donald Campbell was the best referee South Australia had ever produced.
Campbell on Sunday celebrated his 80th birthday with fellow soccer aficionados at the home of Birkalla.
They celebrated the Glaswegian’s feats after landing in Australia in the 1960s.
He was a FIFA accredited referee from 1969 to 1989, the longest serving FIFA official in the world.
Campbell also wrote a book called “The Campbell Files” which told the story of soccer looking through the eyes of a referee international and in SA.
He was also the host of long running Sunday morning soccer show on Coast FM radio.
Campbell also coached Croatia (Raiders) and won the Ampol Cup in his debut 1990 season.
Looking forward to seeing @ziggymarley @WOMADelaide 2020.
— Frank Pangallo MLC (@FrankPangallo) November 20, 2019
Will be 40 yrs since his dad Bob came to town.I drove Bob to @AdelaideCityFC at Kensington for a kick with star striker Dixie Deans & legendary coach Rale Rasic.We also made Bob a life member of the club #saparli pic.twitter.com/8N29lHfJ95
Adelaide United legends with more than 100 games under their belts and forced to pay at the gate is something which the club must surely address.
90 Minutes witnessed an ex star player waiting outside for a friend to give him a ticket for the Victory clash.
It is a travesty when players that fans idolised have just become normal paying customers bar.
This player not long ago played for the Reds in an annual old boys clash at Hindmarsh.
Nikola Mileusnic’s wonder-goal may not have propelled Adelaide United to victory on the weekend, but that hasn’t stopped it creating shockwaves around the world.
The Reds winger controlled Riley McGree’s knockdown on the corner of the 18-year box, before unleashing a sublime left-foot volley that swerved into the top corner against Wellington.
United, which came into the clash on a five-match winning streak, failed to go on with the job at Hindmarsh Stadium, as it suffered a shock 2-1 loss to the Kiwi outfit.
🇦🇺| EUROGOL DI MILEUSNIC 🚀
— Sportitalia (@tvdellosport) December 1, 2019
L’attacante australiano dell’ @AdelaideUnited si inventa così il gol del momentaneo vantaggio dei suoi! 💥
âž¡ï¸ Continua a seguire l’ @ALeague su #Sportitalia! âš½ï¸ pic.twitter.com/XJE1ko3mXV
But the strike proved a hit on social media, as football fans across the globe marvelled at its beauty.
This included Italian satellite broadcaster Sportitalia, which shared a video of the goal on its official Twitter page with almost 100,000 followers.
SA PLAYERS ABROAD
Brandon Borrello – Freiburg (Bundesliga): Unused substitute in a 4-2 away loss to Borussia Moenchengladbach
Alex Chidiac – Atletico Madrid (women’s Spanish Primera Division): Recovering from an ankle injury
Ben Garuccio – Hearts (Scottish Premier League): Recovering from an ACL injury
Meni Haralampopoulos – Acharnaikos (Greek Gamma Ethniki): Played 45 minutes in a 2-1 away loss to Panakardiakos
Awer Mabil – Midtjylland (Danish Super League): Played 90 minutes in a 2-1 home win over Silkeborg.
Craig Goodwin – Al-Wehda (Saudi Arabia Pro League): Played 95 minutes in a 1-0 home win over Al Nassr
Andrew Marveggio – Macva Sabac (Serbian Super League): Not in the match day squad in a 0-2 away loss to Partisan.