Graham Arnold calls for Olyroos to get Olympic funding after famous win secures place at Games for first time since 2008

Graham Arnold’s Olyroos have secured a place at the Olympics for the first time since 2008 — but they’re no chance of a medal unless they secure funding.

Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold has put the heat on the AOC for funding.

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Football bosses will beat a path to the door of the Australian Olympic Committee and Sport Australia in search of funding for the Olyroos, after Graham Arnold’s side secured a place at the Olympics for the first time since 2008.

Australian officials will immediately begin lobbying for financial backing to prepare the team for the Tokyo Games, after Nick D’Agostino’s goal proved enough to earn third place at the AFC U23 Championships in Thailand, and with it a place at the Olympics.

Little more than a year after the AIS cut financial aid to the men’s Olympic football program, Arnold called for government assistance after revealing he had received a text of congratulations from AOC boss John Coates.

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The Socceroos coach – who oversees the Olympic program unpaid – will now attend his fourth Games having played in 1988, been assistant coach in 2004 and overseen qualification for the Beijing Games in 2008.

“We need to start having conversations with the government and the AOC (about funding),” Arnold said. “I got a text from John Coates to congratulate us.

Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold has put the heat on the AOC for funding.

“But we had our funding cut (by the AIS in 2018), and we’re going to need help if we want to prepare the boys properly and give them an opportunity to be successful at the Olympics.

“We need that preparation if we want to go there with the hope of getting a medal. For that, we need a very strong team.”

Part of that may involve the Olyroos, or at least a significant number, representing Australia at the Copa America in June in Argentina, not least as it comes days after World Cup qualifiers the same month that Arnold will also have to oversee.

Australia's Nicholas D'Agostino (C) for the Olyroos.

FFA officials will start planning friendly games and preparation camps, especially as A-League players will have been out of season since May by the time the Olympics comes around.

Arnold revealed that a couple of players had been afflicted with anxiety against Uzbekistan as they grappled with what was stake, and afterwards he showed them a short documentary on the late flowering of Aaron Mooy’s career.

“How many of those kids have ever been on that stage before?” he said. “The hardest thing I had to fix when I took over this job was their brains, the kids had no belief.

“In truth the game against Uzbekistan wasn’t a great performance but it was a good fighting performance.

“When you consider that eight players weren’t here – the likes of Daniel Arzani, Harry Souttar, and the four suspended boys – it’s an even better achievement.

“I showed them a short film on Aaron Mooy, and how he came back to the Wanderers at their age to play games. If you don’t play at this age, your career will be over pretty quickly.”

Originally published as Graham Arnold calls for Olyroos to get Olympic funding after famous win secures place at Games for first time since 2008