Harry Kewell: In happier times

Former Liverpool and Leeds player Harry Kewell has angrily denied comments made by former Socceroo Robbie Slater that another player told him to “F**K OFF!” at a farewell dinner after Australia’s exit from the World Cup.

Kewell gave a furious TV interview in which he dismissed Slater’s claims as ‘lies’ that were ‘disrespectful’, after Slater wrote in a recent column for a Sydney newspaper that “No player will say it publicly but there was disharmony. And here’s one story to put a new spin on the spin. It’s an incident involving Harry and another player, whose privacy I will respect.”

Slater went on to say: “It happened at Australia’s farewell dinner after the Socceroos’ exit in South Africa. Put simply, the player told Harry to f**k off, saying he was of no value to the Socceroos any more.”

Not content with telling anyone and everyone that Kewell is not the most popular man in the Socceroo dressing room, Slater also questioned Kewell’s place in the national team: “While Harry has been a wonderful player for a very long time, I believe that there’s little point selecting him for future Australia teams.

“He’s approaching 32 and has had a long history of injuries. At that age, it’s surely not about to get better. So one of the first jobs for the man who takes over as Socceroos coach is to make the call. It has to be made. Until now, no one has been brave enough to tell Harry his time is up.”

Kewell, giving an interview on Fox Sports FC TV show Tonight Live from Turkey, hit back saying: “What gives you the right to you Robbie to make that kind of statement without knowing the actual facts?”

“Robbie, I was actually there at the table. Name the player. If you’re a man you’d name him. What are you going on about? You’re 100% behind that?”

“Because I’ve spoken to all the players and none of them have said that. No player I have ever played with [in the Socceroos] has ever told me to do that. Even when I first started with the national team.

“You’re lying. I don’t know why you’re creating this kind of thing. Why are you?… I want to know why. What have I ever done to you? I am ashamed by it. What, are you jealous of me? What have I done to you?”

The video has just surfaced on YouTube, which you can check out below. The full transcript follows.

SIMON HILL – “We obviously wanted to give you the right of reply to Robbie’s article that appeared in the Sunday Telegraph. What was your response to it?”

HARRY KEWELL - “Oh well, obviously when I heard about the article and read the article, obviously I was disappointed that an ex-Australian teammate of mine would write something like that when he knows clearly that every time I’ve been in the Australian squad I’ve always shut my mouth, done my work and kept myself to myself and done the business on the park.

“When he writes something like a players told me to `F off’ and saying that I was no value to the Socceroos any more, I find that a little bit harsh.

“What gives the right to you Robbie, to make that kind of statement without knowing the actual facts?”

ROBBIE SLATER - “Well actually I do know that facts because I’ve spoken to more than one player who were at the incident and in fact there were many players there. Are you denying that it happened Harry?”

HK - “I was actually there, Robbie, I was there at the table and if you’re talking about … name the player that would have said that kind of stuff.”

RS - “Well I have to respect that he doesn’t want to be named and I will stand by that. Are you denying that it happened?”

HK - “Robbie, if you’re a man, you will name him because that player, if you’re going on about that player, there’s no player that’s even spoken to you. So what you going on about?”

RS - “Well Harry I have to disagree. I do still have some friends and players that I actually played with in the national team and I do know quite a few people.”

HK - “There’s no circus that surrounds me. The only circus that is created by me is the circus that you people run, like you and the likes of your friends. No-one else. The reporters, that you want to cause trouble for me and disrespect my name in the Australian team. And I want to know why? What have I ever done to you?’”

RS - “What have you done? No, no, Harry. I’m an ex-player now and I have every right to have my own opinion Harry and what I wrote I stand by and I think that it has become a bit of a circus.”

HK - “You’re telling me that one of the players told me to eff off and said I was no value to the team? You’re 100 per cent behind that?

“Because if you’re 100 per cent behind that I will deal with you because I’ve spoken to all the players and none of them have turned around and said that.

“No player I’ve ever played with has ever told me to do that, even when I first started with the national team.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about there. You’re lying there.

“I don’t know why you’re creating this kind of thing. Why are you?”

SH - “Harry if I could just interject for a moment before things get a little bit too heated. Robbie has called the media coverage of you at the World Cup a circus, they’re not my words, they’re Robbie’s, and there was a lot of attention around you at the World Cup finals. Would you agree that it became a bit too much for whatever reason at the World Cup and perhaps in some ways it would have been easier for you and for the Australian squad had you spoken to the media at the daily press conferences a little bit earlier than you did? I think it was about two weeks before you were actually put up in front of the media and that actually probably fuelled the speculation rather than doused it.”

HK - “No, again, I’m a player that does my job and I respect my bosses. Now if my boss calls me and says you’re not doing it, then am I going to say ‘no I am going to do it’?

“In my line of work I have respect, that’s it. Plain and simple. And I follow orders. I do my job on the park and I do my job off the park.

“If my boss turns around and say ‘you’re not doing it’, fine, I’m not going to go out there and disrespect his direct order. I’m going to follow his order.

“Until it was time for me to go out there, I obeyed his order, that was it. It wasn’t my fault, it wasn’t my problem, that was his decision to make.

“Now when someone says that there was a circus created. No. The only circus created is one by him (Slater) and his mates and I’m ashamed by it.

“I sat down with him as a player and he had nothing bad to say with me, nothing, and now you want to create this circus? Because why? Are you jealous of me? What have I ever done to you? Nothing.”

RS - “Jealous? Why would I be jealous of you Harry? No, my main interest is the national team and I stand by what you say. I think some of the things you’re pertaining is rather ridiculous - me and my friends - it’s got nothing to do with that Harry, at the end of the day you came out and said you were fit before the Germany game, as one example, were you fit to play against Germany?”

HK - “‘Course I was fit. I wouldn’t be there. I told you. If I was not fit, you ask all the medical staff, you ask Pim (Verbeek), you ask all the medical staff - hey, you even ask your best mate Arnie (Graham Arnold). Ask them all.”

RS - “But I’m asking you. You hadn’t played since December, or you’d played very, very little. What was it? Two minutes or 52 minutes?”

HK - “What was that for?”

RS - “Before the Germany game. You didn’t play any part against USA and you hadn’t played and you think that you’re fit for the first game of a World Cup?”

HK - “Was that my fault again?”

RS - “Who else’s fault is it?”

HK - “Was that me throwing a little tantrum? Was that me saying, ‘oh, I want to play’, no. That was me again doing what my manager wanted. I was fit … it was Pim’s decision not to play me, not mine, I wanted to play.

“We were all sitting there going `how come I’m not playing?’ but we’re not all going to sit there and bitch. We don’t do that. We get on with our work, we support our teammates, we support our country. That’s what we do, we don’t sit there and bitch, not like you.”