Coronavirus: Sam Kerr applauds FFA as Matildas’ Olympic matches moved

Captain Sam Kerr led a chorus of relief after the Matildas’ Olympic qualifying matches were moved from China to Sydney.

Matildas captain Sam Kerr will now lead her team in their Olympic qualifiers in Sydney after the fixtures were switched from China. Picture: AAP

Matildas captain Sam Kerr led a chorus of relief after the team’s Olympic qualifying matches were moved from China to Sydney following players’ increasingly loud concerns at being forced to play in the midst of a coronavirus epidemic.

The six games in Group B of the qualifying tournament for the Tokyo Games will now be played in Sydney next week, with Bankwest Stadium, Leichhardt Oval and Jubilee Oval all in the mix to host them on February 3, 6 and 9.

Kerr tweeted: “Thanks to everyone @FFA for putting the team’s safety first & getting this done in such a short time frame. Thoughts are with China!”

The politically sensitive decision to move the games out of China, after they were initially switched to a city 550km from the heart of the outbreak of the disease in Wuhan, came after Football Federation Australia told the Asian Football Confederation that its players should not be forced to take any risks associated with travelling to a country where transport links are increasingly being frozen.

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Australia will play Chinese Taipei on February 3, Thailand on February 6 and China on February 9 as part of double-headers each day. Details of venues and kick-off times are expected to be finalised within 24 hours.

Bankwest Stadium has a Rugby Sevens tournament on February 1 and 2, while Jubilee Oval in Kogarah has Sydney FC games on January 31 and February 8.

Amid reports that Chinese Taipei had threatened to boycott the qualifiers if they were held in China, FFA chief executive James Johnson said the governing body had to listen to the worries of its athletes.

“The players and coaching staff were raising concerns about going to China, and we formed a view that it was in everyone’s interest for the games to be moved,” Johnson said.

“It’s a delicate matter, and we’re happy the AFC decided to do so. The players were clearly uncomfortable, and the Chinese FA has been very co-operative in understanding the need to move the games.”

Johnson acknowledged that there are significant costs involved in hosting the tournament, although the FFA can bank revenue from ticket sales and what limited commercial opportunities can be put on with less than a week’s notice.

In a broader context, though, staging the games so swiftly should cast a positive light on Australia’s bid to host the Women’s World Cup in 2023.

“It will send the right message internationally, that we can not only host events, but do so at short notice,” Johnson said.

The top two teams in the group will face a home-and-away playoff against the top two from another group, with the winners of the playoffs joining hosts Japan as Asia’s representatives at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Australian men’s team, the Olyroos, sealed their qualification for Tokyo at the weekend after a 12-year hiatus.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH