Jakarta (ANTARA) – Australian football coach Graham Arnold was forced to strategize for his World Cup qualifier against China online through the Zoom app after his assistants Rene Meulensteen and Tony Vidmar, were unable to travel to Qatar due to the COVID-19 contract.
Despite being fully vaccinated, Meulensteen tested positive for COVID-19 last week, while Vidmar was forced to self-isolate 28 days after returning to South Australia state after the Olympics from Tokyo.
Arnold called on junior coach Trevor Morgan to fill the void in Doha ahead of the game at Khalifa International Stadium on Thursday (2/9).
The game is a home game for the Socceroos who cannot host China in Australia due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“I have great confidence in my staff. René is an incredible assistant, and the fact that he couldn’t be here because he tested positive for COVID-19 last week was a big blow,” Arnold said on a live video call from Doha, as quoted on the official Reuters website on Wednesday.
“Tony Vidmar, who has to undergo a double quarantine after the Tokyo Olympics, is also a big blow.
“They both work for me, but remotely. By the end of the Zoom call, we were still communicating with each other and strategizing the game.
“It’s a challenge, but that’s what happened, and the most important thing is that we remain optimistic.” Arnold added.
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Most of the players had arrived on Sunday (31/8) and Monday (30/8), but the team could not come together on the pitch for training until Tuesday (31/8) as they were still waiting for the COVID-19 Test Results.
They only have one session on Wednesday, before facing China in a fully air-conditioned stadium, ahead of next year’s World Cup.
Arnold, who expects the match to be played at 21-22 Celsius, said the Australian national team had asked the Asian Football Confederation to allow them to play matches in Europe, but the request was rejected.
However, the Socceroos are used to playing in the Middle East, having won their previous five playoffs in the region.
“For me, the most important thing is that we are not playing in East Asia for this game. It’s about taking China out of East Asia and bringing them here,” said Arnold.
“We feel quite comfortable in the Middle East.” he concluded.
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Reporter: Gheovano Alfiqi / Fitri Supratiwi
Editor: Rr. Cornée Khairany
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