Australia manager Graham Arnold has made an emphatic set of comments regarding Celtic star Tom Rogic, and his plans for the next round of World Cup Qualifiers.
Rogic, a large part of Arnold’s plans, could miss vital games for Celtic at the end of January and start of February. Australia play Vietnam on the 27th of this month, then Oman on the 1st of February.
That, of course, coincides with Celtic v Hearts on Wednesday 27th January, and the big one: the Glasgow Derby at Celtic Park on the 2nd of February.
Rogic has been key for Ange Postecoglou this season. He has 12 goal contributions from 30 games this season, including 9 assists. It’s his overall performances, though, that have delighted Celtic supporters. He’s often contributed for 90 minutes, quelling doubts about his match fitness.
However, if he’s playing well for Celtic, it stands to reason his Australia manager will want him, too. And Graham Arnold, who has Ange Postecoglou’s former job, explained that it’s not an easy situation for him.
Arnold told the Go Radio Football Show: “Yeah look, it’s not easy always for a national team coach.
“Especially during this time when there’s not a FIFA window in Europe. It’s a FIFA ruling, an emergency window that they’ve put in for the Asian nations, COMNEBOL and the African Nations Cup to get finished.
“I need my best players. Tommy Rogic is one of course.
“I’ve still got to do the final selection of the squad, and that will come on Thursday. But as I said, these are two World Cup qualifiers, they’re very important games. I need my best players.”
Australia manager Graham Arnold is right to want Tom Rogic, but Celtic will miss him
Obviously, if you’re the Australia manager, and Tom Rogic is fit and available, you pick the Celtic midfielder. Ange Postecoglou did it when he was Australia boss. The timing of these games is unfortunate, but there isn’t really a whole lot Celtic can do.
In fact, there’s nothing Celtic can do. FIFA, in their handbook of ‘Regulations on the status and transfer of players’ state [Annex 1.1, p32]:
“Clubs are obliged to release their registered players to the representative teams of the country for which the player is eligible to play on the basis of his nationality if they are called up by the association concerned. Any agreement between a player and a club to the contrary is prohibited.”
However, given that Ange Postecoglou was once himself Socceroos manager, he’ll completely understand the situation, and will have planned around it. He’s already said there’ll be no “violin playing” [Herald] if Rogic is called up by Australia on Thursday.
With both Hearts and Rangers in our sights, losing players through call-ups is hardly ideal. But shrewd Ange Postecoglou will surely have something in place, here. There’ll be a plan, and a strong XI to put in the eventuality of any call-ups.
Still, though; Rogic is a player often worth the cost of a ticket. Graham Arnold is clearly cognisant of that, as he aims to get the Socceroos leaping into the World Cup.
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