Irankunda declines approach to join Olyroos for Paris 2024 qualifiers

Bayern Munich-bound wonderkid Nestory Irankunda has turned down an 11th-hour approach to play in Australia’s Olympic qualifiers in Qatar, days after he was left out of the original squad due to fears it might “damage” him.

Multiple sources close to the Adelaide United teenager, who declined to speak publicly due to the sensitivity of the situation, say Irankunda has been informally sounded out in the last 24 hours over whether he would be prepared to join the Olyroos squad as a replacement for injured winger Marco Tilio.

But the 18-year-old, who turned in another terrific performance on Sunday with two assists in a 4-2 comeback victory over Perth Glory in the A-League, quickly decided against joining coach Tony Vidmar’s team in Qatar for the under-23 Asian Cup, which doubles as the qualifiers for Paris 2024.

Irankunda decided, according to the sources, that he was better off staying put and playing in at least four more fixtures for Adelaide – including Friday night’s clash with Macarthur FC, which will probably be his last appearance at Coopers Stadium before he leaves for the German giants – instead of travelling with the Olyroos and potentially missing them all.

The outcome is a boost for the A-League and Adelaide, ensuring the competition’s biggest current drawcard and most exciting player will see out the balance of the season as the Reds push for an unlikely finals berth. It also allows Irankunda the opportunity to say a proper goodbye to his hometown team.

Football Australia sources say Irankunda did not so much reject an official call-up but that the federation was testing the waters to see if he was open to the possibility of going to Qatar, mindful of his impending departure to Germany.

Nestory Irankunda had two assists against Perth Glory on Sunday.Credit: Getty

However, the approach raises questions about how a decision that was last week made supposedly for his own good could be reconsidered so quickly based on the availability of others – and it underlines the difficulty many in the game are experiencing in trying to balance the urge to immediately deploy Irankunda at the highest possible level with broader, long-term considerations in ensuring he reaches his maximum potential.

It is also a major on-field blow for the Olyroos and their hopes of reaching Paris, since they will now miss Tilio and have to look beyond the teenager’s rare gifts for a replacement.

Tilio, who is back at Melbourne City this season on loan from Celtic, posted on Instagram on Monday that he was “gutted” to miss out on the under-23 Asian Cup after hurting his quad during the week.

Vidmar said last week that “wellbeing” factors led to Irankunda being originally overlooked for his 23-man squad, while acknowledging he was one of the best prospects to emerge from Australia in many years.

Tony Vidmar and Socceroos coach Graham Arnold are both treading carefully with Nestory Irankunda.Credit: Getty

“The person is number one. And I think that’s something that we have to really look after first. 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,” Vidmar said. “You want to be talking about him for the next 15 years as a national team player ... we’re looking down the road for him.”

Irankunda’s performance against Perth Glory – his first since becoming the youngest player in A-League history to score a hat-trick – brought his season tally to six assists and six goals. He has made great strides in his development this season in smoothing out the rougher edges of his game, improving his link-up play and learning to regulate his emotions in a more mature manner. Still, his club and Football Australia believe he has much more room to grow as a professional.

Irankunda was born in Tanzania and is also eligible to represent Burundi, where his parents are from, but is believed to be committed to playing for Australia, sources say, despite his reluctance to join the Olyroos for this camp.

“We’d love him to play for Burundi but he holds the key – he might or might not come play for us,” Burundi FA president Alexandre Muyenge told BBC Sport Africa last year after he signed for Bayern Munich. “The Burundi FA started tracking him when he was 14 years old and I got a chance to visit him in Adelaide. We spoke and I wished him well.”

The Olyroos are yet to reveal who will come into their squad for Tilio, and will make at least one more change, with Polish club Lechia Gdansk having withdrawn their permission for midfielder Louis D’Arrigo to travel to Qatar despite having previously told Football Australia in writing that he could.

Their campaign at the under-23 Asian Cup begins on Monday night at 11pm (AEST) against Jordan. The top three teams at the tournament will qualify for Paris, while the fourth-placed side will still have a chance to make it to the Olympic Games via a play-off against Guinea.

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