THE war of words between the Queensland Roar and Sydney FC has intensified ahead of their A-League elimination semi-final, with Roar mentor Frank Farina suggesting Sydney’s John Kosmina should be disciplined for labelling him a “whinger”.
Kosmina, though, refused to back away from his comments, saying Farina’s response only served to prove his point.
The exchange has set the tone for a fiery second leg of the minor semi, which follows a scoreless draw in Sydney last month.
“I say this in the nicest possible way, but Frank Farina was one of the biggest whingers I ever played with or against,” Kosmina said over the weekend.
“He was always moaning. Whether it was right or wrong he’d always have a whinge. Not much has changed.”
After overseeing training at a soggy Suncorp Stadium, Farina suggested Kosmina could be fined for breaching Football Federation Australia’s code of conduct.
“I think maybe working with his new employer, who is run and owned by some of the most powerful people in the country, he thinks he can say what he likes,” Farina said, referring to Sydney FC part-owner and FFA chairman Frank Lowy.
“The FFA sent a letter out to all the coaches and players at the beginning of the season that you’re not to criticise the FFA, you’re not to criticise the referees, you’re not to criticise other coaches or other players from other teams.
“So I think John might be dipping into his wallet for the comments he made on the weekend, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Kosmina, who has signed a new two-year deal with Sydney, was unrepentant.
"I rest my case,” he said when informed of Farina’s comments.
The verbal battle may have only just begun though, with Farina promising to throw a few barbs of his own if the FFA fails to act over Kosmina’s comments.
“If the gloves are off then I might open up on a few things as well,” Farina smirked.
Roar goalkeeper Griffin McMaster, who faces a tough battle to retain his place in the side following Liam Reddy’s recovery from a thumb injury, added fuel to the fire by claiming the Queenslanders earned a psychological advantage over their southern opponents by keeping them scoreless in Sydney.
“You could say we’ve probably got the wood on Sydney at the moment, they’re probably a bit frustrated,” the 24-year-old said.
Farina will take the unusual step of taking his side into camp later this week, a first for a home match.
“It will be a controlled environment really to make sure that everyone gets a massage, to get everyone eating the right way and everyone focussed on what is a massive game,” he said.
Sydney defender Mark Milligan is expected to play on Friday despite being ruled out of the Socceroos’ mid-week World Cup qualifier against Qatar with a broken nose sustained during the national team’s training match against the Melbourne Victory on Saturday.
“It’s a broken nose, his septum is not deviated to the point where he can’t breathe, so just play,” Kosmina said of the injury.
AAP
Source: Coaches verbal barrage continues
