Football Federation Australia (FFA) has today confirmed that Alessandro Del Piero (Sydney FC), Shinji Ono (Western Sydney Wanderers) and Emile Heskey (Newcastle Jets) are unavailable for selection in the Foxtel A-League All Stars.
Football Federation Australia (FFA) has today confirmed that Alessandro Del Piero (Sydney FC), Shinji Ono (Western Sydney Wanderers) and Emile Heskey (Newcastle Jets) are unavailable for selection in the Foxtel A-League All Stars.
The Foxtel A-League All Stars will debut against Manchester United at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, on 20 July with the match to be broadcast live and exclusively on the Seven Network.
The three players polled strongly in the online fan voting, in which 30,000 votes were cast. After consultation with player representatives and their Hyundai A-League clubs, FFA has concluded talks over availability in order to give Foxtel A-League All Stars Head Coach Ange Postecoglou certainty in the selection process.
“The fans and their votes are what have brought the Foxtel A-League All Stars into existence and we have placed fan engagement at the heart of the All Stars project,” said FFA CEO David Gallop.
“Alessandro, Shinji and Emile have turned on great performances and brought a huge global and national profile to the Hyundai A-League, so naturally the fans wanted to see them face Manchester United.
“But we respect the fact that their personal circumstances at this time mean the All Stars game arrives at a difficult period for them to manage a one-off appearance.”
Gallop said factors including injuries, retirements and transfers during the off-season were always going to influence the final Foxtel A-League All Stars selection.
“We-ve already seen the transfer of Marco Rojas, Patrick Zwaanswijk-s retirement and the injury rehab of Adama Traore affect the selection process,” said Gallop.
“These things happen in football, but I know Ange (Postecoglou) is confident of having a very competitive team that will proudly represent the Hyundai A-League against the Red Devils.”
The first seven players confirmed in the Foxtel A-League All Stars are; Thomas Broich (Brisbane Roar), Brett Emerton (Sydney FC), Michael Beauchamp, Mark Bridge, Ante Covic, Youssouf Hersi and Nikolai Topor-Stanley (all Western Sydney Wanderers).
More players will be unveiled ahead of the full squad announcement on Saturday 13 July.
For all the news on the Foxtel A-League All Stars go to www.a-leagueallstars.com.au
