Australia captain Lucas Neill has defended the squad against accusations that they have turned into a team of whingers. Following two games in South Africa 2010 in which they have been reduced to 10 men, Neill said “When we were down to 10 men against Ghana we took it on the chin, stood up and in the end probably could have won the game. That’s not a team that whinges.”

 

Everton’s Tim Cahill was quoted as saying that the Socceroos ‘have not been given a fair go’ by the referees at the World Cup whilst Harry Kewell said that the official who dismissed him had ‘killed his dream’. Neill denied that Cahill had said those words and of Kewell he said “That’s not a whinge, that is disappointment.”

Cahill himself stressed that the squad would retain focus and be positive ahead of their final group match saying “We are professionals and we have to accept this whether the decisions are borderline.”