Welcome to A-Leagues Life, where KEEPUP brings you all the latest news and goings on at your club. This is how the week is shaping up across the A-Leagues and beyond.
Tilio linked with Celtic move as Brendan Rodgers era begins
The Ange Postecoglou era is over at Celtic FC – but that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the Australian influence at the Scottish giants, with Socceroos prospect Marco Tilio rumoured as a target of the club’s new manager Brendan Rodgers.
The 21-year-old forward is fresh off a Premiership-winning campaign with Melbourne City in the Isuzu UTE A-League; during the 2022-23 Finals Series, City head coach Rado Vidosic suggested Tilio was generating interest from overseas clubs, with Celtic the latest club linked with a move for the creative young talent.
Scotland media outlets Daily Record and Scottish Daily Mail report Celtic boss Rodgers is eager to make Tilio his second signing since taking over from Postecoglou as the club’s head coach. Rodgers has already brought Norwegian midfielder Odin Thiago Holm to Parkhead, days after the announcement of his return to the helm for his second stint as head coach.
Should rumours of Tilio’s Celtic switch materialise into a transfer, he would become the latest in a procession of Australian’s to make the move to the Scottish top flight.
Aaron Mooy is a current member of the Celtic squad, and Newcastle United’s Garang Kuol spent last season on loan at Heart of Midlothian FC – home to Socceroos teammates Cam Devlin, Kye Rowles and Nathaniel Atkinson. Meantime Dylan McGowan, Keanu Baccus, Lewis Miller, James Jeggo, Ryan Strain, Martin Boyle, Ryan McGowan, Phillip Cancar, Aziz Behich and Mark Birighitti all represented clubs around the Premiership last season.
Tilio enjoyed a career-best season in the A-League Men in 2022-23, scoring 10 goals from 29 games (25 starts) and earning his fourth-consecutive Premiers Plate (1x Sydney FC, 3x Melbourne City). He’s the only player in A-League Men to achieve that feat – a stunning statistic for a 21-year-old on the rise.
Cklamovski ready for FC Tokyo coaching debut – against Mitch Langerak
It’s go time for Australian coach Peter Cklamovski at FC Tokyo in the J1 League!
Cklamovski is the club’s newest head coach, replacing Albert Puig with the Japanese club sat 12th on the J1 League table after 17 rounds.
First up: a meeting with former Socceroo Mitch Langerak and Nagoya Grampus.
Cklamovski, formerly on the coaching staff of Perth Glory, Adelaide United, Melbourne Victory and the Socceroos, has been based in Japan since 2017, firstly as an assistant coach under Ange Postecoglou at Yokohama F.Marinos before a brief period at Shimizu S-Pulse, and an impressive stint in charge of Montedio Yamagata.
Tokyo take on second-placed Nagoya on Saturday night at 8pm (AEST).
Former Phoenix defender ‘proud’ of All Whites teammates’ response to alleged racism
New Zealand international and former Wellington Phoenix defender Michael Boxall says he’s proud of how his All Whites teammates responded to an alleged racial slur from Qatar winger Yusuf Abdurisag in an international friendly between the two nations in Austria on Tuesday (AEST).
Play was abandoned after the first half of the friendly affair, with Boxall allegedly on the receiving end of a “significant racist slur” from Yusuf. Boxall is of Samoan heritage.
READ: New Zealand abandon Qatar friendly due to alleged racism
Post-game, a New Zealand Football statement read that the racial slur was heard by several New Zealand players.
The Qatar Football Association released a statement on June 20 claiming “Yusuf stressed that no racial or discriminatory language was used or directed towards any player of the New Zealand team” – and that Yusuf himself believed he was racially abused.
Boxall spoke to the Star Tribune in the aftermath of the event, revealing he hadn’t taken the alleged comment personally – but it can’t be allowed to be said on a football field.
“I’m pretty competitive and I say a lot of things that I wouldn’t want my kids to hear, but that’s certainly crossing the line,” Boxall said.
“It’s not something I’d ever say. I didn’t really take great offence to it but it’s one of those things you can’t allow on a football field.
“I’m sure it’s a slur he uses colloquially every day, but when it’s directed at another player on the field you can’t get away with that.
“It’s not something I take personally. I’m proud of my teammates for taking the stand they did.”
