1974 – Socceroo dreaming and the sleeping giant

Australia’s qualification for the 1974 World Cup is slowly disappearing into the annals of football history. Past players no longer receive phone calls from ignorant commercial media, dragging out the story of the only team to ever qualify for the Mundial. Former players like Ray Richards are no longer asked about that summer in Germany. Rale Rasic, our great coach, no longer questioned about the heroic qualification campaign, why we failed to score a single goal; applauded nonetheless for achieving the miracle of qualification where Frank Arok, Eddie Thomson and Terry Venables failed.

That summer in Europe, Australia debuted at football’s top table. Unfortunately our moment in the sun was short lived and with qualification opportunities squandered, combined with heart breaking playoff defeats on four different continents in 1985, 1993, 1997 and 2001, Australia spent the next 32 years in the international football wilderness. Consecutive qualification at the last three World Cups has now diluted the potency of the Peter Wilson and Rale Rasic class of 74. In fact, media coverage of this watershed moment in Australian football history is now as rare as sightings of Peter Wilson himself.

Yet this story still stands as one of the most heroic in Australian sport. The Socceroos qualified as impossible outsiders with every member of the squad a part-time footballer, not a professional. Perhaps there was something about 1974 as Zaire and Haiti had a similar mission impossible that elevated their own populations into hysteria. In fact, football minnows regularly qualifying for the World Cup was a direct result of 1974. FIFA realised it was time to expand the Mundial and did exactly that with 24 teams at Spain 82. This presents another remarkable statistic about 1974. The Socceroos qualified for a 16 team tournament, opposed to the bloated 32 team extravaganza we know today.

This moment in Australian football is ultimately defined by the people who built the game in Australia, the migrant communities of the old world who came to an overwhelmingly white Australia for a better life. The sport and recreation they loved though, football, was/is marginalised and brutalised by the media who much prefer the physical football codes and only turn to a game played by ‘sheilas, wogs and poofters’ when it suits. The Socceroos qualified on the back of such people and within the very fabric of the team they were there as well. Only eight of the 22 players who boarded the plane for Germany were born here. So the Socceroos, Aboriginal, Greek, Croatian, British, German; boys born overseas, now representing what was a growing melting pot in the suburbs of Australian cities. This was and will always be our true national sporting team, representing all of us.

 

So when did Australia first qualify for the World Cup? The answer is November 13, 1973 in far off exotic Hong Kong, thanks to a Jimmy Mackay thunderbolt which separated us from the brave ‘Taeguk Warriors’ of South Korea. Victory in a third sudden death playoff catapulted Australia to the World Cup, courtesy of a 1-0 win that dreams were made of. The real qualification date though was December 14, 1969, four years earlier. After a torturous qualification campaign that traversed Asia, the Middle-East and Africa, the Socceroos failed by a miserly goal losing a playoff with Israel 1-2 over 180 minutes. There would be no Mexico 1970, no World Cup for Australia at the start of a new decade. The heartbreak of that afternoon in Sydney in front of over 32000 fans at the Sydney Sports Ground fortified the resolve of an already tight playing squad to make amends and go to Germany four years later. So while the Australian media once again forgot about the world game, a new spirit was born from the ashes of defeat that would chart a destiny that like a juggernaut propelled the Socceroos towards 1974. The sleeping giant was born and there was no stopping it.

Israel proved they deserved to be at Mexico 70 with sound displays against Italy, Sweden and Uruguay. Our own appearance in the famed Estadio Azteca in Mexico City came just a few months after the World Cup had finished and exactly twelve months after that painful exchange with Israel. The Socceroos were at the end of a gruelling international tour that spanned the globe; winning against Iran in Teheran which prepared the boys for their subsequent visit there in 1973 and one of the most pivotal moments in qualifying for Germany.

Australia also accounted for Israel in Tel Aviv before heading onto Athens where they won for the first time ever on European soil in a full international against Greece. These results so far from home were the start of the bond Rasic built as the players started to think about 1974. Finally before returning home before Christmas, the 1970 Socceroos fell 0-3 to Mexico who were World Cup quarter finalists on home soil a few months previous. Ray Richards became one of the first Australians sent off in a full international when he clashed with the fiery Mexican captain, Gustavo Pena and was unceremoniously pelted with missiles while leaving the pitch as the Mexican crowd erupted. Richards was sick of being kicked and responded by hurling the football into Pena’s face. Australia would not be intimidated on the pitch and Rasic was meticulous in ensuring the players were perfectly prepared off it. In Mexico City, Teheran and Tel Aviv, the desire grew, the belief escalated and the pride in wearing the shirt reached new heights. The team, now professionally prepared by new coach Rale Rasic was strong, physical, technically capable and advancing at a fast rate. Every opponent the Socceroos faced from 1970 onwards would hate every minute of it.

1971 was a quite year on the international calendar, although Australia hosted nemesis Israel for three matches in November. Immediately, the Australian press and fans realised something was different. Israeli coach Edmond Shmilovitch was shocked at the technical improvement and level of fitness Australia displayed and the matches were lively affairs with Max Tolson raising the temperature in Brisbane by ploughing both a defender and goalkeeper into the net in a match that was spiteful at best.

1972 saw Rasic take the team on a three week tour of the Asia Pacific, fine tuning the squad before the start of the World Cup elimination matches. The Socceroos accounted for neighbours Indonesia and New Zealand before defeating South Vietnam, South Korea and Philippines on a successful tour that allowed Australia to size up its opposition and let the rest of the region know that 1973 was our year.  Peter Wilson said upon arriving at Sydney Airport that ‘we have nothing to fear’ and the scene was set for the World Cup qualifiers,

1973 commenced with three tough matches against 1970 and eventual 1974 World Cup qualifier, Bulgaria. The Bulgarians outclassed the Socceroos on the tour, yet Rasic was determined in Australia testing itself against superior opposition before the qualifiers began. Finally on March 4, a journey that would take another eight months began with an underwhelming performance harvesting an away point gained in Auckland against New Zealand; 1-1at full time. A week later proved to be one of the most influential moments in the campaign and collided with a political milestone for Australian history.

Arthur George, President of the Australian Soccer Federation invited the popularly elected Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam to the next match against the highly favoured Iraq at the Sydney Sports Ground. The Socceroos were subsequently used for political mileage to great effect. Whitlam accepted the invite and was keen to see football advance in Australia, however he requested that the ASF play ‘Advance Australia Fair, not ‘God Save the Queen’ before the match commenced. George agreed and to the delight of the crowd on the terraces and to the complete disgust of the monarchists, Whitlam witnessed the ‘new’ national anthem played in front of 32000 people for the first time at an international sporting event. After the kick off, Jimmy Mackay who replaced Johnny Warren in the first eleven excelled with Jimmy Rooney also peerless on the day. The 3-1 result, a packed house and a sitting PM in the crowd made this a great day for Australian football.

 

The following two matches failed to live up to the previous, exciting Sunday in Sydney. The Socceroos were thankful Ernie Campbell and Adrian Alston found the net in a narrow 2-1 over Indonesia before blowing a 3-1 lead against New Zealand with goals form Doug Utjesonovic, Ray Baartz and Branko Buljevic cancelled out to finish 3-3. Fortunately, Indonesia held Iraq scoreless and this kept the Socceroos top of the group. The following match in Melbourne on March 18 against Iraq was the clincher and again the ‘Lions of Mesapotamia’ were highly favoured.  The 0-0 result not only kept Australian top of the group, but the strong defensive performance would auger well for future qualifiers. Australia swept aside Indonesia with an Attila Abonyi brace contributing to an emphatic 6-0 victory. Australia was top of the group and moved onto the next round of world cup qualification.

Final Group Standings
Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Australia	6	3	3	0	15	6	9
Iraq	6	3	2	1	11	6	8
Indonesia	6	1	2	3	6	13	4
New Zealand	6	0	3	3	5	12	3
On August 18, 1973, Iran visited Sydney for the start of a two legged affair that would see the winner advance to the third and final round of Asian qualifying. Iran was not the finished product they became to claim a place at Argentina 78, but they were technically superior and quick on the counter attack. It took the Socceroos all their reserve to break Iran and when goals from Abonyi and Adrian Alston seconds before and after halftime, Australia had the advantage. Germany seemed so much closer when a late Peter Wilson goal arrived. This would prove absolutely crucial as the Socceroos defended a 3-0 cushion in Teheran. The crowd of 80000 in the Persian capital was described by journalists as ‘baying for blood’ and with Australia 2-0 down after 30 minutes, the Socceroos were on their knees.One of the key moments in the entire campaign transpired at half time. Rale Rasic describes in his own autobiography that Adrian Alston was having a poor game and complaining about conditions and the opposition in the dressing room. Alston was then grabbed by Max Tolson who had been sitting on the bench, thrown against the wall and abused for not having the desire to play for Australia. It was time for the sleeping giant to stand up. Tolson, a caged lion and absolutely furious for being on the bench came on and commenced relentlessly terrorising the Iranian defenders the moment he set foot on the Azadi Stadium pitch. Soon after the resumption of play, Tolson crashed into Iranian goalkeeper, the superstar Mansour Rashidi and took several defenders with him into the back of the net. The Iranian players were clearly startled by Tolson, his ferocious tenacity in tackles and the reaction of his teammates who played their hearts out seeing Australia survive, 3-2 on aggregate.   In November, 1973, the planets aligned and four years of hard work, international travel and countless hours of preparation, let alone the dreams of those migrants who finally had a team to call theirs. A 32000 sell out at the Sydney Sports Ground for the visit of South Korea was the setting. Those fans though, left disappointed and believed Germany may be over, the dream, still a dream. The 0-0 score line left the Koreans in pole position for the return in Seoul two weeks later. Korean coach Byoung Dae proclaimed a 2-0 victory for Korea and after 30 minutes of the return leg, goals form Kim Jae Han and Ko Jae Wook delivered on the prophecy.   Once again the insurmountable challenged the Socceroos, but the sleeping giant woke again and goals from Branko Buljevic and the mercurial Ray Baartz levelled the match and the tie. Away goals were not a part of international football in 1973, so it was Hong Kong for a winner take all replay three days later. The rest is indeed, history. Ray Richards took a free kick in the 70th minute and calmly passed the ball to Jimmy Rooney who stopped the ball dead for Jim Mackay to slam home form 30 metres. That was that, Australia went to the World Cup for the first time.   What was the result of Germany 1974 and our first foray at football’s top table? The actual results are irrelevant because the 1974 Socceroos paved the way as pioneers on the international football stage, they lit the fuse for the first national league created in 1977 and they kept the fires burning in all Socceroo ‘true believers’ for 32 years. They answered the four-yearly phone calls and waited for another generation to come along. Then finally, the sleeping giant awoke again on November 16, 2005, on that night against Uruguay. To the Socceroos of 74, we owe you so much, thank you.

 

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