SYDNEY, Nov 20 — Australia captain Lucas Neill today defended a fiery exchange he had with sections of the home crowd during a friendly with Costa Rica, saying the outburst was justified.
The veteran defender, who has been under pressure after successive 6-0 thrashings by Brazil and France, was caught on camera gesturing and yelling an expletive towards supporters during the team's 1-0 win yesterday night.
It sparked criticism from fans, commentators and former players, including Mark Bosnich and Robbie Slater.
But Neill, who was jeered during the game, said he had no regrets.
“I'm an Australian, playing in Australia for Australia, getting booed by an Australian. There's no place for that,” he told commercial radio.
“It was just isolated moments — every time I touched the ball, so I knew it was directed at me. But it's detrimental to the team.
“Let's just focus on the more positives, and that was we were one-nil up, we were having a fantastic game, we were winning the game, we were playing really well for Australia and Ange Postecoglou gets off to a great start.
“So that 0.01 per cent has just tarnished it slightly.”
The former West Ham star faced calls to quit after the Brazil and France drubbings, but won the backing of new coach Ange Postecoglou, making his 96th appearance for the Socceroos yesterday, captaining the side for a record 61st time. — AFP
