‘We need to face this head-on’: Matildas’ uneasy homecoming

This wasn’t the sort of homecoming the Matildas had envisaged. They have been in exile for nearly two years, scattered at clubs across Europe, patiently waiting for Australia’s international borders to open so they can reunite with family and friends.

Now they’re finally home, but not exactly free: under the strict terms of the bio-secure bubble approved by the NSW government for their two-match series against Brazil, they’re somewhere between prisoners and zoo animals. They can train freely, but at other times they have to wear tracking wristbands which flash red when players get within 1.5 metres of one another. After they play, they will be forbidden from signing autographs or taking photos with fans.

The Matildas are at home for the first time in almost two years, but are training under a cloud of innuendo.

There are pros and cons to this sort of draconian arrangement, especially at the moment. Lisa De Vanna’s allegations of a toxic culture at all levels of the women’s game have engulfed the sport and besmirched the Matildas’ blue-chip brand. Many players would love nothing more than a hug from mum or dad right now, but they’ll have to settle for seeing them from a distance – if they’re even in NSW at all.

But the benefits are obvious: the team has been almost entirely shielded from the glare of the media this week. All press duties have been conducted remotely, and there haven’t been many of them – just a handful of interviews with selected outlets, but no all-ins. Coach Tony Gustavsson finally fronted a proper press conference on Friday, but with no player by his side. “We need to face this head-on,” he said.

When they run out for their first clash against Brazil, the Matildas will do so under a heavy cloud of innuendo. Putting aside De Vanna’s personal experiences from the 2001 Young Matildas, neither she nor anyone else has levelled any specific allegations in public at any current players – yet many observers have lashed them on social media, having already decided they are guilty. Of what, exactly, is still unclear.

Matildas captain Sam Kerr hasn’t spoken to the media this week.

Sport Integrity Australia will soon begin wading through the many claims and rumours that have since emerged from football’s Pandora’s box. Details of SIA’s independent investigation were finally released on Friday afternoon, and it sounds extremely thorough: between November 1 and January 31, SIA will receive and handle complaints relating to abuse, bullying, child abuse, child grooming, endangering the safety of a child, harassment, sexual misconduct, unlawful discrimination, victimisation, and vilification at the elite levels of Australian football, both male and female. Any disputes that arise will be heard by the National Sports Tribunal.

For those found to have committed wrongdoing, there will be no escape. Until then, it is worth remembering the Matildas themselves are innocent, and deserve to be treated as such.

There are serious problems on the field, too. The pressure is mounting on Gustavsson, who is in Australia for the first time since taking on the job and desperately needs a win to boost confidence after last month’s friendly defeat to Ireland. His record so far is woeful, although he did bring them closer to an Olympic medal than anyone before him.

Gustavsson insists he is looking at a much bigger picture: everything they do in friendlies, when there’s nothing riding on the result, is aimed at ensuring the Matildas are ready to compete at major tournaments. The next is the Asian Cup in January, where the minimum expectation will be reaching the final. Then there’s the 2023 Women’s World Cup, an opportunity so rare and precious that the sport here can’t afford for the Matildas to screw it up.

Brazil is a team in transition but should not be taken lightly. They are coached by the legendary Swede Pia Sundhage, who Gustavsson worked under when she was in charge of the United States, and are still skippered by Marta, one of the greatest players of all time. They were unbeaten in Tokyo but were knocked out on penalties by eventual gold medallists Canada in the quarter-finals.

Socceroos legend Mark Schwarzer is concerned with how they’ll fare under the added scrutiny, given recent history. “The players must be finding it difficult,” he said on an Optus Sport podcast this week.

“In 2019 at the World Cup, it was the first time the Matildas had literally a massive spotlight on them and the media attention was there. There were moments where you could see some of the players didn’t react well to it [and] any criticism. There were a lot of expectations. That is where they are now.”

It would be hard to imagine a more gruelling test of the Matildas’ resilience, on a number of levels, than what’s right in front of them.

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