Saudi Arabia minute’s silence row: Socceroos players respond to rivals’ disrespect to terror victims
SOCCEROOS players say it was important to them to pay tribute to terror victims, with Saudi Arabia’s refusal to join a minute’s silence ‘out of our control’.
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SOCCEROOS defender Ryan McGowan says Australia respecting the London terrorism tragedy with a minute’s silence to honour the eight victims including SA’s Kirsty Boden is all he wished for at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night.
While Saudi Arabia’s soccer team knew a minute’s silence was to be observed, for the people killed and injured in the attacks in England, two hours before kick-off, the side was condemned for not honouring what the host country wanted before Australia won the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier 3-2.
“For us more importantly as a team we wanted to show our respects to the people that lost their lives and made sure we did the right thing,’’ McGowan said on Friday at the team hotel before the Socceroos flew to Melbourne to meet Brazil in a friendly at the MCG on Tuesday.
“What they (the Saudis) did we really don’t have any control over, we just wanted to make sure we observed it properly.
“It was totally up to them. We don’t really want to comment about what they did and they put out (a media statement) last night and we just wanted to focus. We as a team showed our respect.”
Former Adelaide United forward Mathew Leckie, who recently signed for Germany’s Hertha Berlin, saw what was happening on the pitch as the Socceroos gathered around the centre circle to remember the dead but could do little to act upon what appeared to be clear disrespect by the Saudi team.
“Like what Gowser (McGowan) said we just wanted to concentrate on that minute to show our respects, for us it was important,’’ Leckie said.
The Saudi Arabian football federation on Friday issued an apology for what transpired during the minute’s silence as the team’s starting XI players stood in formation rather than in a huddle, as some players continued to limber up while most of the stadium’s fans stood in silence.
“The players did not intend any disrespect to the memories of the victims or to cause upset to their families, friends or any individual affected by the atrocity,” the statement said.
“The Saudi Arabian Football Federation condemns all acts of terrorism and extremism and extends its sincerest condolences to the families of all the victims and to the government and people of the United Kingdom.”