Olympics 2024: Australia faces talent black hole as Graham Arnold’s prophecy rings true

Australia’s footballing talent has been in decline for years and is highlighted by the Olyroos failing to qualify for this year’s Paris Games. ROBBIE SLATER writes how FA allowed this to happen.

DOHA, QATAR - APRIL 18: Jordan Courtney-Perkins of Australia reacts after losing against Indonesia during the AFC U23 Asian Cup Group A match between Indonesia and Australia at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium on April 18, 2024 in Doha, Qatar.(Photo by Mohamed Farag/Getty Images)

Alarm bells should be ringing at Football Australia headquarters today.

The Olyroos’ failure to qualify for the Paris Olympics not only ensures another eight-year black hole for Australia’s emerging male players but demonstrates how quickly Asian nations are overtaking the game here.

Graham Arnold has been warning for a while now that we are quickly falling behind in the region as rival nations pour investment and resources into their football departments while Australia fumbles around with the A-Leagues and struggles to attract government support.

That prophecy is real now.

The Indonesia result is evidence of that.

Most people in Australian football would have looked at the Indonesia game as a certain three points ahead of these Olympic qualifiers.

Instead, Indonesia won and leapt ahead of us into the semi-final. The Olyroos, meanwhile, failed to score a goal in any of their three matches.

Lachlan Brook following the loss to Indonesia. Picture: Getty Images)

Tony Vidmar, Ernie Merrick and the Football Australia apparatus can point to the unavailability of overseas-based players (this was not a FIFA-sanctioned event) and Nestory Irankunda’s absence as a reason for Australia’s lack of impact in the front third.

However, the issues run deeper than that.

Young Australian A-League players don’t play enough games relative to other leagues around the world.

Add to that the fact that local squads contain too many run-of-the-mill overseas players — who take game time away from local youth – and the problem becomes apparent.

I went to the Wanderers game on Saturday and saw this play out yet again: average overseas players making little impact and Australian kids getting late minutes when they were finally substituted.

What clubs should be doing is following the lead of the Central Coast Mariners – the team with the lowest budget but the highest performing in the league.

What does the future of Australian football look like. Picture: Getty Images

The Mariners are in the business of developing and selling local players, then replacing them with the best from their academy system.

I’m not against A-League clubs recruiting marquee players but they need to be good ones. Anything short of that serves only to deny opportunities to our next generation of players.

So, while we keep tripping over ourselves, Asian football is on a relentless rise.

It’s not just the likes of Japan, Iran, Korea and Saudi Arabia we have to worry about. Nations across the region are investing heavily in their football programs and are reaping the rewards.

We’re fortunate in a way that the World Cup is expanding the number of teams but we would be foolish to be complacent about it.

This Olyroos campaign says as much. Asia is growing rapidly as a footballing force and Australia’s position within in it is nowhere near what it once was.

Arnie’s prophesy rang true on Monday morning. Picture: Getty Images

Australian football must look within itself now.

Is it happy with its current course?

Or, as Arnold has warned, do we need to fundamentally review how we structure and resource the game locally to keep pace with our ambitious Asian neighbours?

The answer to me seems obvious.

After a negative season for men’s football in Australia, in which the game has lurched from one crisis to another, the FA needs to wake up, stand up and make some tough decisions.

That starts with taking back control of the A-Leagues.

Originally published as Olympics 2024: Australia faces talent black hole as Graham Arnold’s prophecy rings true