Sydney FC coach blasts ‘nonsense’ as teen’s World Cup tug-of-war resolved
Updated . First published
Sydney FC coach Patrick Kisnorbo was left furious by the commentary around Akol Akon’s international availability after the club confirmed the young star would be released to play at the under-17s FIFA World Cup if selected.
It was reported by a number of outlets on Wednesday the winger would not represent Australia next month as the Sky Blues had blocked him from doing so.
Akol Akon is the youngest player to ever feature in an A-League grand final. Getty Images
Sydney FC’s deliberation reportedly related to concerns about the squad’s depth as well as Akon’s position in cementing himself as a key figure in the senior team.
The club has since confirmed he will be allowed to play if he is selected.
But Kisnorbo was “disappointed” by the leaked conversations around his player’s possible international involvement, revealing he had discussed the Akon dilemma with Australia’s U17s coach Carl Veart.
“Veart, he was very understanding,” the Sky Blues coach told reporters on Friday.
“I promised him if I found the right solution (Akon could be released). In the end, we found the solution and it happened.
“All this stuff to me was nonsense because do you know the U17s World Cup team yet? No. No one knows the team. If you don’t know the team why is it a problem?”
Asked if he could understand the uproar about possibly preventing his young star from playing at a youth World Cup, Kisnorbo replied; “No because what are we preventing him of?
“The squad hasn’t been picked,” he repeated.
“We have to do what’s right for the team. We can’t just go and get any other player, it doesn’t work like that.
“If we let all the U23s go today, we would lose six players. What do you want us to do, get the U13s in? We have to find solutions, that’s the way the league is.”
Kisnorbo used fellow Sky Blues young gun Mathias Langeland Macallister as an example of the club’s commitment to releasing players for national team duties, making clear the 19-year-old was needed for Australian Cup games at the time of the U20s Asian Cup qualifiers.
Kisnorbo has a three-year deal with the Sky Blues that will expire in 2029. Getty Images
Macallister was selected for those qualifiers, but that Australian team was missing several stars due to A-League clubs’ decisions to hold players back due to concerns about a congested schedule.
Kisnorbo questioned why the same standard wasn’t applied in that case as it was to Akon’s availability for the upcoming U17s World Cup.
“People need to be a bit careful with the words they use because people say ‘we want games to do well’ ... well, I think (they) are really killing the game because it’s all noise and narrative without knowing facts,” he said.
“The thing with Akon is that it is a unique situation. He can be picked for all four teams, the U17s, U20s, U23s and the Socceroos. In the international break we received three emails from different age groups.
“Age is not a barrier in football. If you’re an important player, you are an important player. If he wasn’t an important player he wouldn’t be at a club like ours.
“Whether he gets picked for the team or not, I don’t know. But we love the kid.”
Sky Blues captain Rhyan Grant shared a similar view to his coach, but he also noted how valuable an opportunity to play for your country is for any player.
“At any club you would want to keep your best players, and he is right up there for us,” he said.
“We want to keep him around and have him playing. But in the same breath, it is always nice to go to a World Cup and represent your country. It doesn’t matter what age.
“For him to get that opportunity would be unreal ... if selected, hopefully he goes away and does us proud. But I want him around us.”
As for the club’s hierarchy, executive vice chairman Sebastian Gray reiterated Sydney FC’s goal has “always been to give our young players every opportunity to represent their country.”
“We’ve worked hard alongside Football Australia to find the right solution, and we’re delighted Akol will have this opportunity if selected,” he said.
Football Australia executive director of football Heather Garriock was elated that the organisation and Sydney FC were able to come to an agreement.
“We’re pleased Akol may now have that opportunity, and we’ll keep working closely with Sydney FC and all clubs to give our best young players every chance to represent their country,” she said.
Sydney FC’s Akol Akon on the ball. Getty Images
Prior to the issue being hammered out, Australian great Mark Bosnich said he couldn’t understand why club football would ever be seen as more important than representing the green and gold at any level.
“They should let him (Akon) go,” the former Aston Villa goalkeeper said on SEN earlier this week.
“Why would you want to deny someone the opportunity to play in a World Cup for their country? I can’t understand why they’d want to do that.
“Let him go play at the World Cup, do the right thing.”
As per the current FIFA rules, clubs are not obliged to release talent for youth international duty if the matches do not fall within the senior window.
The decision then falls on the organisers of domestic leagues – Football Australia and the A-League do not have an active agreement on the matter.
Akon could have therefore been legally held back to play senior football in the A-League in preparation for his move to the MLS with the Colorado Rapids. Akon has signed a deal to join the American club at the end of this A-League season. He is contracted with the Rapids until the end of 2031 with an option for 2032.
Akon’s agent Tony Rallis earlier this week questioned, in a statement to News Corp, why the Sky Blues are banking heavily on a teenager who has completed just one professional pre-season.
“That raises serious questions about recruitment,” he said.
“It is evident that Sydney FC’s foreign recruitment over the past two-and-a-half years has been a failure ... leaving the club increasingly reliant on youngsters.”
Rallis said A-League teams like Sydney FC cannot continue to whine about low transfer fees if they deny the next generation opportunities to prove their worth to scouts watching international youth tournaments.
“If Australian clubs genuinely want to increase player valuations, they must start treating youth World Cups as opportunities, not inconveniences,” he ended.
The CommBank Joeys team will be unveiled in the coming weeks, with their campaign to kick off in Qatar on November 19 against Argentina.
Australia will also face Denmark and Mozambique in the group stage.
