Fornaroli Selection Highlights Development Failure

While many are celebrating the fact that immediately after becoming an Australian citizen Uruguayan-born Bruno Fornaroli has been added to the Socceroos squad this writer almost wept for it is an indictment on the lack of quality development in Australia.

There is no doubting that Fornaroli is a talented player, but is this really good news for Australia? Is he really up to International standard?

With the chance of missing out on qualifying for a fifth consecutive World Cup Finals it is understandable that we would see the Australian coaching staff decide to take such a gamble.

First of all looking at Fornaroli as a player, like many footballers his career began promisingly. He was selected for the Uruguayan under 17’s. At 19 years of age he was transferred from Nacional to Serie A and Sampdoria. LIke many other talented young players it may well have been a move that came at the wrong time in his development, despite the personal financial rewards and those that Nacional received. He made six appearances in Serie A, four in the UEFA Cup and one in the Italian Cup, and 11 appearances in Serie B. A total of 22 appearances over a four year period. Part of the reason for this was the club loaned him out to other clubs in Argentina, Spain and back to Nacional.

Next came a move to Greece and Panathiniakos, here he would play 16 league matches and 24 in total, but after one season he moved back to Uruguay. In 2015 Dutchman John van ‘t Schip signed him for Melbourne City and finally he was playing regularly and scoring goals. Had he finally found his level, or a level at which he could shine? In 2019 he fell out with manager Warren Joyce and his contract was terminated by mutual consent. Perth Glory snapped him up. Over on the West Coast he continued to be one of the best players in the A-League even at the age of 34.

Who can blame Fornaroli for accepting the opportunity to no doubt live a lifelong dream and play international football. What is sad is how it reflects on the Australian game and where we are at in terms of development.

When The Football Federation of Australia was created one of the first things we were told was that the body was going to invest in educating coaches around the country. Mums and Dad’s who had stepped in were going to be upskilled and this would eventuate in Australia producing a larger number of talented players that would benefit the game locally and at International level.

Yes, there were some reduced price courses at various times to ensure that all who were coaching had a coaching badge, but how many coaches who had been involved in the game for decades some of whom were ex professionals opted not to sit their C Licence? How many were then lost to the game?

Not The Footy Show enquired a while ago whether anyone had actually failed their C Licence coaching exam, and was told that there was no known cases of that being so. If someone was poor in one area they were allowed to be reassessed, and then would be passed. So we have witnessed some people who should never have been allowed to coach issued coaching badges and let loose on this generation of young players.

The whole coaching scenario has become a money-making scheme rather than a genuine desire to produce outstanding coaches. If it was about ensuring that those issued a coaching badge continued to improve, why are there no follow up assessments? Why are those who issued the license not following up and making sure that standards are being adhered to?

Of course with the introduction of coaching qualifications came a proliferation of coaching academies. Some of these were, and are outstanding, some of them are a disgrace. However the FFA has no control over these. (Money Or The Game?)

Then we had the farcical situation where coaches who had UEFA coaching badges were told by the FFA that they were not acceptable in Australia, and these individuals – again mainly ex professionals, one an ex international, – were told they had to re-sit their badge in Australia. One individual took the matter to FIFA and the FFA received a curt four line letter advising them that they must accept the qualification.

Then there were the applicants for the Australian under 20’s coaching job who had all, as per the advertisement sat their FIFA Pro Licence (cost around $15,000), and at the end were told by the FFA that they would try and assist them find work. The FFA then gave the job to a coach who at the time did not have his Pro Licence, even thought that was a requirement! Another coach in the Leagues system did not have to sit his C-Licence so he could be fast tracked into the system.

With so much information online in relation to coaching techniques and training drills is there really a need for anything more than a Police Clearance to work with children? Is there really a need for these courses? (Coaching Courses – Are They Still Relevant Or Do They Just Need To Evolve?)

Then we had the decision to try and make the whole nation play the same style of football. This was without doubt one of the craziest proposals put forward by the Dutch experts brought in by the FFA. Those in charge knew no better. They were sold a club model and tried to adopt it for a country. Sadly many across this great land fell into line, nodded their heads and followed the directive like lemmings. We all know what happens to lemmings, they rush headlong to their own destruction.

Is that not what we are witnessing at this point in time? After so much promise following the World Cup qualification for 2006, and the launch of the A-League the future looked bright. The Golden generation were proof that the development systems in the country were in the main on the right track. Yet all of that was thrown away. Even the AIS Football program, which was renamed the FFA Centre of Excellence was eventually run into the ground and closed down.

A heavily flawed pathway system and youth teams linked to the A-League clubs who didn’t want them were created instead, and the national team is now feeling the pain of these programs.

To add insult to injury we see members of the sycophantic modern day media celebrating the fact that 25 year old Australian players are returning to Australia to play in the A-League. This is nothing to celebrate. These players should be heading into their golden years as a professional footballer and should have established themselves at a club and playing regularly. The only reason a player would return at this stage of their career would be because they haven’t managed to breakthrough, or the money on offer in the A-League is more attractive, the season shorter, the standard easier and they are closer to home. All reasons that will not benefit Australia football in International competitions.

In the 27 man squad selected for the game against Japan next week 10 players are plying their trade in the A-League, only 5 are playing in what would be regarded as the top leagues in Europe. Which backs up the very sad statistic that we have the least Australians playing in the top leagues in Europe for 30 years. This team is reminiscent of those back in the 1980’s and early 1990’s when the majority of the Socceroos were made up of players in the NSL, and the likes of Dave Mitchell, Eddie Krncevic, Frank Farina and then Robbie Slater and Mark Bosnich would head home to play.

Compared to the 2006 FIFA World Cup squad you can see how far the game has fallen. In Guus Hiddink’s squad there were 14 players playing in the top five leagues in Europe, with other players playing in the next level down, but all were playing regularly. There were only two players from the A-League and they were Mark Milligan and Michael Beauchamp who were never going to play, but were there with a view to the future.

Which comes back to the view of the future right now.

For so long Australia was proud to have its players developed in Australia. As we saw earlier this year coach Graham Arnold and Football Australia – as they are now known – has had to scour the world looking for players with an Australian connection and try and convince them to play for Australia.

Case in point was Fran Karacic who when picked in the squad in late 2021 had never been to Australia, and barely spoke English until a few years ago. Karacic was born and raised in Croatia. Until early 2018, he was widely regarded as a future regular of Croatia’s senior team. In Croatia they saw him as a star in the making. After all he had been capped 38 times at youth level, one more than former World Player of the Year Luka Modric when he was playing at that level.

When approached Karacic opted to play for the country of his father’s birth. There is nothing wrong with his decision, he is entitled to make it when offered the opportunity. Australia’s gain is Croatia’s loss, but hopefully we will never hear another Australian moan about Josip Simunic’s decision to do the opposite.

It is great that Australia found out that Karacic had an Australian passport, but it shows how desperate the country has become to try and find players capable of playing at International level.

Fornaroli’s selection is another sign of desperation. No doubt many who aspire to play for the Socceroos will have been demoralised by his selection. What message does it send to aspiring players?

Many believe that Fornaroli is unlikely to play against Japan, after all international football is a giant step up from the A-League. Others closer to the international set-up suspect that coach Graham Arnold may bring him off the bench in the hope that he can produce a moment of magic, courtesy of his undeniable skill to score a goal that may well give Australia a lifeline in their World Cup qualifying campaign. If he does Fornaroli will become a national hero overnight.

Whatever the outcome of the game against Japan one thing is abundantly clear the whole coaching set up in Australia has been a disaster for the past 20 years. That is why the Socceroos find themselves in this position. There were many who spoke up, but they were labelled all sorts by those in fortress FFA. (Player Development The Elephant in the Room). Maybe now James Johnson and his staff will be more open to listening and seek advice from those who genuinely have Australia’s best interests at heart, and not their own.