Daniel Arzani’s outburst not tolerated by Melbourne Victory coach Patrick Kisnorbo
Sources have revealed the real reason former prodigy Daniel Arzani wasn’t in Melbourne Victory’s squad for the Australia Cup final.
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Daniel Arzani’s anger at being left out of Melbourne Victory’s starting side for the Australia Cup final against Macarthur FC led to him being omitted from the squad entirely.
Following Macarthur’s 1-0 win in Sunday night’s decider at AAMI Park, Victory coach Patrick Kisnorbo said former prodigy Arzani wasn’t selected in the squad because he wasn’t going to be available for the opening round of the upcoming A-League season due to suspension after he was yellow carded four times during last season’s finals series.
“It’s just my decision. Come round 1 he won’t be in the game either because he’s suspended,” Kisnorbo said.
“We had to be ready for that scenario and I decided to do it today.”
However, sources close to the Victory have revealed that the main reason Arzani wasn’t included in the Victory’s Cup final plans was the anger he expressed towards Kisnorbo at training last week when he discovered he wasn’t going to be in the starting team.
Arzani’s antics led to Kisnorbo and his coaching staff making the decision to banish him entirely from the Victory’s Cup final squad.
It’s understood relations between Arzani and Kisnorbo remain strained.
However, it’s expected that the 25-year-old attacking weapon will stay with the Victory to complete the final season of his contract.
Arzani’s non-selection in the Cup final is also expected to harm his chances of being recalled to the Socceroos squad for this month’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan.
New Socceroos boss Tony Popovic, who coached Arzani at the Victory last season, is set to name Australia’s squad on Friday, with speculation increasing that the Victory’s 31-year-old right-back Jason Geria, who hasn’t played for the national team since his maiden appearance in 2016, will be selected.
Originally published as Daniel Arzani’s outburst not tolerated by Melbourne Victory coach Patrick Kisnorbo