The “biggest problem in this country”, says A-Leagues legend John Kosmina, is fans comparing the Isuzu UTE A-League to competitions abroad in Europe. He spoke passionately about the misconception in this week’s NEDS feature.
Eurosnob. It’s a term thrown around in Australian football. Search it in the Urban Dictionary and it’s defined as a fan born and raised Down Under, but doesn’t support the A-Leagues, instead cheering on European giants such as Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool based on the perceived superiority of those teams and leagues.
“You’re not comparing apples with apples,” the former Adelaide United and Sydney FC head coach told Neds.
Kosmina continued: “People look at the games overseas and go ‘Aussie football’s s***’.
“Well it’s not, it’s a little bit different.”
Take a look at this season, as an example. Three clubs were in contention for the Premiers Plate heading into the final week of the season with defending champions Melbourne City, Melbourne Victory and Western United only separated by two points heading into the remaining two fixtures.
Wellington Phoenix and Sydney FC are also going head-to-head for the remaining place in the top six entering the finals; up until recently 11 teams were still alive in various races.
It also comes as exciting, fresh Australian talent emerges as key players in the ALM. New data comparing leagues across the world shows the Isuzu UTE A-League is first in its class in Asia for showcasing its up-and-coming players, while it’s ranked in the top 10 worldwide for blooding talent aged 21 or younger.
‘We have to change the narrative’
Kosmina continued: “I watched a game, Leeds and Southampton. It was crap, it was terrible. Some of the football was disgraceful. This is the EPL [Premier League]. It was horrendous.
“A-League games are better than that. If you look at the finer details and look at it from a coaching perspective, the A-League is much better in terms of a spectacle and probably from a tactical point of view as well.
“Compare apples with apples but that doesn’t happen. Everyone wants us to be right up here – everyone is Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City – every team has to play like that and it’s not going to happen.
“They don’t want to buy into the Aussie game… We’re a melting pot of football information. We don’t have any particular style. We’ve lost a bit of our identity because Aussies were always regarded as physical. But we’re actually quite technical as well.
“We have to change the narrative.”
‘Those days were great’
Kosmina played a key role in establishing the A-League Men and one of its biggest fixtures during his first stint as Adelaide United boss.
‘The Original Rivalry’, pitting Adelaide against Victorian foes Melbourne Victory.
It originated in 2005 and developed into must-watch football.
Kosmina, who spent two spells in charge of the Reds, was at the centre of it. Particularly in 2006 when Adelaide beat Victory 1-0 at the Docklands.
Tempers boiled over when Kosmina grabbed Kevin Muscat by the throat after he was knocked off his chair by the Victory captain in the iconic ALM moment.
“Muscat had a bad reputation,” Kosmina – who won the 2005-06 Premiership with Adelaide – said as he recalled the clash. “I’ve known Kevin since he was a kid. I remember presenting him with the U21 Player of the Year in maybe ’91 or ’92 at the old NSL Awards when he had that really bad mullet.
“Musky was a fantastic player for Melbourne Victory, he ran the show. That’s probably why they fell into a bit of a hole when he retired. But he was giving Nathan Burns a little bit of stick and I was giving Musky a bit of stick for picking on the kids.
“When he came to pick up that ball and I’ll say this quite publicly, I’m pretty sure Musky threw an elbow at me and I saw it coming. I fell backwards, lifted my head and tumbled over. That was the end of it for me. I lost it.
“It’s no big deal. It’s football. If it happened on the park when I was playing, the same thing would’ve happened. Back in those days, you did used to grab people by the throat a lot. I’m not condoning violence but that’s just the way it was.
“Those days were great. Those first couple of years and the rivalry between Adelaide and Victory was amazing. It set the tone. You had it with Sydney FC and the Big Blue that grew out of that.”
