‘We don’t want to damage him’: Vidmar explains Irankunda Olympic snub

Olyroos coach Tony Vidmar has defended the exclusion of Nestory Irankunda from Australia’s squad for this month’s Paris 2024 qualifiers, saying it was a “bigger picture” call made in the best interests of a player he says should be a star Socceroo for the next 15 years.

The Bayern Munich-bound teenager became the youngest player in A-League Men history to score a hat-trick with a stunning three-goal burst for Adelaide United against Western United on Friday night – prompting opposing coach John Aloisi to declare him as having the potential to become Australia’s best-ever player.

But Vidmar said Football Australia’s national team unit was treating Irankunda – who only turned 18 in February – with the utmost caution, and said the decision not to pick him for the under-23 Asian Cup in Qatar was made for the player’s own good.

Vidmar, who is based in Adelaide, said he has tracked Irankunda closely for the past four years since his emergence in the South Australian NPL, and had met with him several times recently to discuss his national team status, having previously been called up as a Socceroos train-on player by Graham Arnold.

“[He’s] such an emotional player,” Vidmar said on Thursday.

“What’s happened to him this season, I think he’s on a rollercoaster 24/7. That’s just the way he is ... we have to look at the bigger picture. He’s going to be the future of the national team, that’s for sure, and we just have to be mindful of what we do with him in the national team space.

Nestory Irankunda has been left out of the Olyroos’ squad.Credit: Getty

“And at the moment, we don’t want to damage him. He’s just turned 18, and it’s a big ask for him to come in and all these expectations from people outside – because I asked him about the expectation, and it’s been challenging for him. To throw that on a young kid, it can do more damage.”

Already boasting a highlight reel that most players would struggle to match throughout their entire careers, Irankunda has become one of the A-League’s biggest attractions, but has struggled at times with the hype surrounding him, opposition players who have tried to get under his skin to curb his on-field influence, and occasional rough treatment by referees who have refused to call clear fouls on him.

Nestory Irankunda celebrates the second of his three goals on Friday night.Credit: Getty

A mid-season clamour for his signature from European clubs, eventually won by German giants Bayern, added to the burden he is carrying on his young shoulders.

Despite his blindingly obvious talent, Irankunda, his teammates and his coach at Adelaide United, Carl Veart, have all been open in discussing his shortcomings around maturity, attitude and professionalism. Vidmar acknowledged he had made great strides of late, but said his volatility was still a concern.

“There’s things that we can’t really discuss and talk about. The human being is number one,” Vidmar said.

“He’s been through so much this year. I’d hate to be in his shoes ... he’s just being prodded at, everyone’s poking at him, everyone wants a piece of him. And yes, I understand, being playing for the national team is a huge thing, and I’ve spoken to him about that. He just wants to play football for his club, and then get ready for that next part of his journey.

“I could be selfish, and just bring him in for the sake of it, but dealing with players and having that relationship with them, you find out so much more about him, and we feel that the bigger picture is the national team, the Socceroos. You want to be talking about him for the next 15 years as a national team player ... where he’s the first one selected. We don’t have the luxury of 1000 of those players where you can throw them against the wall, and they break, [and say], ‘OK, you don’t use them.’

“Once he moves to Bayern, it’s going to be a totally different situation for him, and that’s what you want. When he’s flying, and he’s ready to be that Socceroo player, then we’re going to sit back and just think, that’s the right thing, and that’s the right decision to be made.”

OLYROOS SQUAD FOR U23 ASIAN CUP

Patrick Beach (GK), Lachlan Brook, Cameron Cook (GK), Jordan Courtney-Perkins, Louis D’Arrigo, Jacob Farrell, Jake Girdwood-Reich, Steven Hall (GK), Jake Hollman, Jacob Italiano, Alou Kuol, Garang Kuol, Nicolas Milanovic, Mark Natta, Alexander Popovic, Adrian Segecic, Callum Talbot, Ryan Teague, Marco Tilio, Mohamed Toure, Jordi Valadon, Nishan Velupillay, Rhys Youlley.

The under-23 Asian Cup in Qatar doubles as the qualification pathway for the Olympic Games, with the top three teams at the tournament to clinch a berth for Paris.

With at least six players blocked from release by their European clubs – including Parma’s Alessandro Circati, Brighton’s Cameron Peupion and newly capped Socceroo Patrick Yazbek – there was a strong case for Irankunda’s inclusion to bolster the Olyroos’ attacking arsenal, while there are growing calls for Arnold to begin integrating him properly within the Socceroos.

Vidmar has still named a relatively strong 23-man Olyroos squad, which features Socceroos Marco Tilio and Mohamed Toure, the Kuol brothers Alou and Garang, and some in-form A-League talent in Western Sydney’s Nicolas Milanovic, Macarthur’s Jake Hollman, Central Coast Mariners tyro Jacob Farrell, and Sydney FC’s defensive pairing of Jordan Courtney-Perkins and Jake Girdwood-Reich.

The Olyroos are coming off a strong performance at the West Asian Football Federation U23 Championship, a warm-up tournament in Qatar where they finished runners-up to South Korea after a penalty shootout, while they have also banked friendly wins over France and Mexico in the last 12 months.

They have been drawn in Group A in Qatar, alongside the hosts, Jordan and Indonesia. But with only three direct berths for Asian teams available, it will take a mighty effort for them to fend off the likes of Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia to join the Matildas at the Olympics.

The losing semi-finalists at the U23 Asian Cup will go into a play-off against a team from Africa for the last remaining spot in Paris.

Arnold was the coach of the Olyroos during the last cycle as they ended a 12-year drought to qualify for Tokyo 2020, where they shocked Argentina with a 2-0 win but ultimately failed to get out of their group after defeats to Egypt and Spain.

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