Friday 4.50pm, Toronto time. That's when I'll be looking for somewhere to watch the first leg of Honduras vs Australia.
Yesterday I mentioned how Peru are in New Zealand and being very secretive about their plans and movements. Well, Australia seem to be pulling a "Peru" in Honduras. They were hustled out of the airport in silence by a security team and are in lockdown at their hotel compound. The Honduran press has called them "hermits".
But it's the Australian media that have been on the attack in the psychological pre-match battle. There has been talk about the dangers of going to Honduras, and repeatedly labelling it(incorrectly now) as the "Murder Capital of the World". And this was all put together in a "joke" by TV show host Peter Helliar. In an interview in October, which has resurfaced, with Australian captain Tim Cahill, Hellier said, "First they defeated Syria, then they go to the capital of murders, if they win then they will play against ISIS".
The Hondurans can do hostility in a football stadium very, very well. Just ask the Canadians who went there for a qualifier where they only needed a draw to progress to the next round a few years ago and were hounded and scared into an 8-1 defeat. The Australians media cannot win at this game. It'll be better if they change their tune very quickly.
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