World Cup 2022 – France – Australia: Football, revealing the history of Australia

In Australia, like in France, immigration has always had an important place in many parts of society. Nearly 30% of the population, or 7.6 million people, were born abroad. Football is no exception to this phenomenon. Moreover, telling the story of Australia through the prism of its football is very representative. At first, it was the British settlers – English and Scottish in particular – who imported it to the other side of the world, until the creation of the national team in 1922.

A centenary that was celebrated with a double-header against New Zealand last September. Then, after the Second World War and until the 1980s and 1990s, new populations from Europe arrived. The latter flee the field of ruins of the Old Continent, misery, conflicts, the Dictatorship of the Colonels in Greece, the Prague Spring or the revolution in Hungary, while East-West tensions are raging. If there had already been a large wave of arrivals during the inter-war period, immigration was encouraged in the second half of the 20th century to swell the population.

More than football: clubs, integration tools

These new Australians will take up the torch to help shape and develop soccer. For those people who are unfamiliar with rugby, Australian rules football and even less cricket, football is a no-brainer. It links them to their country of origin. A certain hostility towards these populations remains all the same, some even face rejection down under. Teams are created, very often with an assumed community dimension, even claimed.

For many, the club becomes a vehicle for integration into this second life. Beyond its primary function, families find there the habits of the house, with people who have the same culture, the same language, and understand each other. When we play, not only do we have fun, but we keep this link with our roots. This social tool also makes it possible to find work, accommodation, meet friends, start a family… And even to pass on political messages.

In the historic 1974 World Cup qualifier, eight out of 22 players were born in Australia. From the 1950s, football began to take shape. In 1977, it was these same generations of European migrants who contributed to the creation of the first national championship, the National Soccer League. So-called ethnic teams, made up of Italians, Croats, Serbs, Hungarians, Greeks will face others filled with Macedonians, Germans, Maltese, English… But in the end, it’s beautiful and indeed this community dimension which, among other things, will get the better of the competition.

Far from being the king sport, football suffers from bad publicity. Soccer conveys a pejorative vision in a very competitive sporting panorama, while rugby league or Australian football are untouchable behemoths. It remains regularly marginalized in public opinion. The media do not hesitate to tap on this “foreign sport”, relaying in particular the violence which sometimes enamels, for example, meetings between teams stamped from the former Yugoslavia. Even today, football must fight against a certain snobbery, even contempt.

Australia, a global heritage

In 2004, the National Soccer League was disbanded, and the A-League was born. With it, the ban on conspicuously displaying signs of belonging to a community, whether in the logo, colors, jersey or club name. Head to local leagues for many of these teams. But the transition to this pared-down professional football is not a game-changer. Players still emerge from these clubs or other purpose-built elite clubs, and the mix still works in this multicultural society.

In the 2000s, many stars had foreign origins: Mark Viduka, Mark Bresciano, Kevin Muscat, Mile Sterjovski, Mark Schwarzer, Robbie Slater, James Troisi, John Aloisi, Tony Popovic, Zeljko Kalac, Tim Cahill… And the list is far from exhaustive, extending over time. Like the country, the national team is a melting pot. Ironically, in 2006, during the match against Croatia at the World Cup, three players from the opposing team were born… in Australia. That year, the Socceroos qualified for the first time in 32 years. Other examples: Ange Postecoglou, the coach in Brazil and winner of the 2015 Asian Cup, was born in Greece. His deputy, Ante Milicic, comes from a Croatian family.

Throughout this perilous campaign for the 2022 World Cup, Graham Arnold has called up players from extremely diverse backgrounds: United Kingdom, Serbia, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, Bosnia, New Zealand, Malta, Ireland, Nigeria, Lebanon , Afghanistan… In recent decades, new arrivals have come more from Asia or the Middle East. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, between 1960 and 1975, immigration came from Europe at 80.28%, the figure was 37.5% between 1975 and 1990, and then fell below 20% . In recent years, again because of the wars, large diasporas from African countries have formed in Australia. The African influence on Australian rules football is already very visible.

Three players from the South Sudanese community and families who fled the war, Awer Mabil, Thomas Deng (born in Kenya) and Garang Kuol (in Egypt), are on the trip. Keanu Baccus was born in South Africa. In fact, with the exception of North America, all continents were represented in these qualifiers. Uruguayan Bruno Fornaroli even played twice for the Socceroos in March 2022. Milos Degenek and Fran Karacic were born in Croatia. There have also been recent sporting naturalisations, with Scots Harry Souttar, Martin Boyle and Jason Cummings also going to Qatar. A few days before facing the Blues, the Australians are counting more than ever on this diversity to break the Indian sign and finally win their first match in the World Cup since 2010.