On the eve of Australia\u2019s sixth consecutive FIFA World Cup campaign, the Socceroos have delivered a powerful statement of who they are, a true reflection of modern Australia, seeking to make all Australians proud on the world\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n
The video statement is delivered by 20 members of Australia\u2019s 26-man FIFA World Cup squad and showcases the journeys behind the jersey, and the strength it gives the team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The current squad is represented by players with Italian, Burundian, Liberian, Turkish-Cypriot, Dutch, Zimbabwean, Scottish, South Sudanese, Serbian, and Sri Lankan backgrounds, among many others.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Socceroos aren\u2019t just a team. We are a reflection of modern Australia,\u201d\u202fPFA co-President and Socceroo Jackson Irvine says in the video.<\/p>\n
PFA Chief Executive\u202fBeau Busch\u202fsaid the Socceroos are a team Australians can be proud of.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what we\u2019re about. This is what football in Australia is about. This is what we\u2019re taking to the world. Football is for everyone,\u201d Busch said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom our Indigenous pioneers, such as Harry Williams and John Moriarty, to those who have sought asylum and the opportunity to build a new life in Australia, the Socceroos represent an authentic vision of what our nation can be at its best.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a time when some seek to divide us and question who belongs, the Socceroos stand as a powerful reminder of who we truly are as a nation and as Australians.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Socceroos highlight the profound impact of multiculturalism on our country. People who have come from all corners of the world have shaped football, our community and our sense of self in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur country and our game could have no better global ambassadors than our national team players who continue to inspire and create a sense of belonging for millions of Australians.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery weekend, across the country, there are kids from every background going out to play the game they love and celebrate their culture. Now, they can contribute to the pride we all feel in the country we live in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
FULL VIDEO SCRIPT<\/p>\n
AWER MABIL: I was born in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya.My parents are South Sudanese.<\/p>\n
LUCAS HERRINGTON: I was born in Brisbane, Australia.<\/p>\n
AZIZ BEHICH:\u00a0My family migrated from Cyprus.<\/p>\n
JASON GERIA: I was born in Canberra, Australia.<\/p>\n
ALESSANDRO CIRCATI:\u00a0I was born in Italy, raised in Perth.<\/p>\n
MOHAMED TOURE: I was born in Guinea, and I came to Australia with my family as a refugee.<\/p>\n
CAMERON DEVLIN:\u00a0 I was born in Sydney, Australia.<\/p>\n
CONNOR METCALFE: I was born in Newcastle, New South Wales.<\/p>\n
CAMERON BURGESS: Our family emigrated from Scotland to Western Australia.<\/p>\n
MILOS DEGENEK: I fled my birthplace, Knin, Croatia, as an 18-month-old baby.I lived as a refugee in Serbia untilwe moved at the age of six to Sydney.<\/p>\n
JACKSON IRVINE: No matter where you come from, football is for everyone.<\/p>\n
JACOB ITALIANO: No matter where you come from, football is for everyone.<\/p>\n
AIDEN O\u2019NEILL:\u00a0\u00a0No matter where you come from\u2026<\/p>\n
HARRY SOUTTAR: Football is for everyone.<\/p>\n
JACKSON IRVINE: The Socceroos aren\u2019t just a team.We are a reflection of modern Australia.<\/p>\n
MAT LECKIE:\u00a0Our diversity is our strength.<\/p>\n
JASON GERIA: The Socceroos are the best representationright now of what Australia is. You[\u2018ve] got peoplefrom all different kinds of backgrounds.You know, born not only all over Australiabut all over the world.<\/p>\n
MAT RYAN: When you wear this shirt,you represent every Australian.<\/p>\n
PAUL OKON-ENGSTLER: To every kid, to everyone with a dream, we\u2019re for you.And we wear that with pride.<\/p>\n
JORDAN BOS: To be able to play for the national team is something that I\u2019m very grateful for, and I take a lot of pride in.<\/p>\n
LUCAS HERRINGTON: The Socceroos are a family,that I\u2019m proud to be a part of.<\/p>\n
PATRICK BEACH: Playing for Australia is one the biggest honours of my life.<\/p>\n
NISHAN VELUPILLAY: Every time I put on that jersey, I just want to make the country proud.<\/p>\n
AWER MABIL:\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of journeys behind the jersey, so to be a Socceroo has many different meanings,but with one purposeand that is to do the country proud.<\/p>\n
JACKSON IRVINE:\u00a0 We are proud of where we come fromand who we representand proud to represent Australia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On the eve of Australia\u2019s sixth consecutive FIFA World Cup campaign, the Socceroos have delivered a powerful statement…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":730711,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-730710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=730710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/730711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=730710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=730710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=730710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}