I've been a Socceroo fan since 1973 and from that time on, there has not been a single day I didn't think about Australia and the Socceroos. But in the old days without the Internet for news, and very high travel costs, it was not easy to see them playing live in or near Germany.

Now the times have changed. Over the last few years I've seen a few games, and I hope a lot more soon. Australia is playing more games here in Europe, flight prices are low, so I take every chance to see the Socceroos and to support them on different grounds on the world. Here is short story with photos of all the games I've seen, from the most recent to the first..........

Australia - Uruguay, Sydney Telstra Stadium, 16 November  2005
To this game I have nothing to say, just one thing......................................................
I WAS THERE.............

                    Australia v Germany - Argentina - Tunisia, June 2005
I watched all three Australian Confederations Cup games in Germany 2006. It was a highlight in my life to see them back in my home country after 31 years.
The games were different, from great (v Germany), to okay (v Argentina) to crap (v Tunisia).
But it was a football festival, a fantastic tournament with unbelievable moments. I have had my hobby for many years, and it took more than a quarter of a century to see my home country playing against the country I love. I deeply and sincerely hope it was not the last time.
More about the games on my Confederations Cup site.

            South Africa - Australia, Loftus Road, London, 30 March 2004
Australia against South Africa, that means it's a game between my spiritual home against my favourite holiday country.
So I made a quick decision to travel to London. The game was played at Loftus Road, home of Queens Park Rangers. It was a sunny but cold day in that part of town which was packed with people wearing Green and Gold: both countries have the same sporting colours.
The ground was almost full with 16,108 people. They didn't see the best match, but what a fantastic atmosphere they made. When the Soccer-
oos arrived, I got a heartily welcome from some who recognised me. 
After the game I had time to speak with Paul Agostino and David Zdrilic in German. They remembered me when I spoke to them after a Bundesliga match. I asked Paul not to score the following week when he has to play against my home town Hanover. Naturally, he said he couldn't promise. Paul said he was so close to moving to Hanover the season before, and it was a mistake not to do so. Now it's too late.  It was very late when I went to bed in London after the game, but the Socceroos had won 1:0 and I was happy that they are playing matches in Europe every now and then.


              England - Australia, Upton Park, London, 12 February 2003
When I heard that the Socceroos will play the mother country of football, I said to myself, "You have to see that game."
I took three days off work and went to London. Before the game, I met some friends: Matthew Hall, Mark Bowman, Brendan Schwab, and Craig Foster. I got a media pass for the first time, so I had the opportunity to see some of the players before and after the game.
The atmosphere at the beautiful Upton Park was unbelievable. Nearly 3,000 crazy Socceroo fans made this night unforgettable. And Australia won the game 3:1. Kewell played a perfect match, his opponent never had a chance to stop him.
When I got back home, many people asked me "How was that possible?"
It's easy to answer that question, Australia was the much better team. I was very proud the see that highlight in Australia's Soccer history and for the rest of my life I can say, "I was there!".


           Australia - Uruguay, M.Cricket Ground, Melbourne, 20 November 2001
I returned to Australia for the first time in 21 years to see that World Cup Qualifying Final. I spent a day with the Socceroos from the 1974 World Cup (read the full story on my site Australia 2001)

The MCG was packed with more than 84,000 supporters and it was a fantastic atmosphere.
Close to the end, the Socceroos went ahead from a penalty scored by Kevin Muscat, and the crowd went crazy.
It was one of those nights you will never forget in your life. The whole town was in a real soccer fever before, and after the match.
Australia played well, but I thought they would not be strong enough in the second leg, to be played a few days later in Montevideo, and I was right.The Socceroos went down in Uruguay by three goals and another World Cup adventure finished too early. But for myself it was a highlight to be there at the Melbourne game.


              Czech Republic - Australia, FK Stadium Teplice, 29 March 2001
When I heard that the Socceroos were to play a game just 450 kilometres away from my home town, I was sure I would go there. I went with my father and I got two tickets from Soccer Australia. I will never forget that time, not because of the football, but because it was damned cold.
I stayed with Dad in a hotel 100 metres away from the team hotel and we met a few of the players. The game itself was not one of the best. The cold wind whistled across the ground off the nearby snow-covered mountains.

The Socceroos lost 1:3 and they never had a real chance, but they didn't filed their best team. My Dad and I stood together with some Australian supporters and I met friends like Rodney Lock and Peter Thorpe. We also had a funny night after the game. I was interviewed on Czech TV to say what I thought of the game.

Before the match I had a long chat with Les Scheinflug, now manager, and in 1974 the Socceroo assistant coach. He was nice and his German was perfect.


             Australia - Czechoslovakia, Olympic Park, Melbourne, 9 February 1980
I was with my ship, the MS Lloyd Sydney in Melbourne and I had the good fortune to see the Socceroos play the touring Czechoslovakian national team.
It was a Sunday and I had a day off work. My Aussie friend from those days, harbour worker Joe Buttigieg, picked me up from the docks and we went to the famous Olympic Park together.
I was very proud to hear an Australian national anthem live for the first time. I was the noisiest man in the 15,000 crowd.

Australia played well, but the first goal was a funny thing. A penalty was awarded to the Socceroos and it was taken by Eddie Krncevic, but the USSR keeper held the ball. The referee required it to be retaken because the keeper moved too early. Eddie had another try. Again it ended up in the arms of the keeper but the Referee said that he moved too early again. Eddie declined to take it a third time so Ivo Prskalo took over the responsibilities. I am still not sure if it's possible to change the scorer in a situation like that. And now Ivo kicked the ball into
the goal, but, unbelievably, the Ref said that he hadn't whistled. Everyone on and off the field went crazy. It took another - fourth - try, but this time Prskalo scored.

Later in the game, when Australia was 1:2 down, Eddie Krncevic scored his goal, with just one attempt. It was a brilliant, world-class header, and gave the keeper no chance. The final result was 2:2. After the game I spoke with coach Rudi Gutendorf, who was a good friend of my uncle in Germany. I remain in contact with Rudi to the present day.

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