| World Cup : Australia's Kewell cleared |
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| Wednesday, 21 June 2006 | |
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(sportal.com) Harry Kewell is free to play for Australia in Thursday's vital group match against Croatia after FIFA cleared him of any wrong-doing after an incident with German referee Markus Merk. Kewell had been called to explain his post-match confrontation with Merk in Munich on Sunday, where he was seem pointing and arguing at the referee. Merk had awarded 25 fouls against Australia and only nine against Brazil in the match which ended 2-0 in the world champion's favour. Socceroos assistant Graham Arnold feared that Kewell would be outed over the incident, but apparent inconsistencies between the stories of the match officials helped the Liverpool star's cause. FFA had called on its lawyers to review a DVD recording of the incident, with Kewell asked to make a submission in his defence by Tuesday. But the matter has now been cleared up and Guus Hiddink has all but the injured Tony Popovic at his disposal for the most important game in Australian football history. FFA Chief Executive Officer, John O’Neill, said he was very pleased with FIFA's actions. "The FFA and Harry Kewell are very appreciative of FIFA’s careful consideration of our submission and are pleased that no action will be taken in relation to this incident." "As Harry said himself, the incident arose in the heat of the moment and was regretted by him." "Harry has emphasised the respect he has for referees and the need for players to show this respect." "The team can now look forward to the Croatian match with its full complements of 23 players, as it has had available for all of our matches. This is a credit to the players’ fitness and application and also to the work of our medical and coaching staff. We are now fully concentrating on the match ahead." The Socceroos must draw or win against Croatia to progress to the next round for the first time in their short history in the World Cup. |
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