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[FIVE MINUTES WITH… Mark Bosnich ]

40 WWW.AUSTRALIANPENTHOUSE.COM.AU

Former star soccer player Mark “Bozza” Bosnich is an example of contradiction resulting in the formation of interesting character.

Loud and brazen, with endless enthusiasm and an unforgettable cackle that would be perfect as a ringtone, the FOX Sports pundit is known for providing articulate analysis and intelligent insights into the game. Bozza’s playing career was no different; one of the best players in the elite English Premier League, he combined organised genius as a goalkeeper on the pitch with dark disorder off it.

The Sydney-born former Socceroo won the EPL title at the world’s largest club, Manchester United, but had his career cut short by drug and weight problems. Since returning to Australia in 2008, Bosnich has established himself as one of the country’s leading voices on the world game.

What did you make of the 2011-12 A-League season? Fantastic! Miles better than any previous season in every way. That has been reflected in the increased crowds and the higher TV audience. As for the standard of play on the pitch, that has improved dramatically. Game after game has been exciting, there has been great football and the games, with a few exceptions, have all been close, too.

Last year, Brisbane Roar set a new standard and this season a lot of teams have caught up, especially the Central Coast Mariners, who topped the ladder at the end of the

season. Plus, regardless of what anyone says, the acquisitions of Harry Kewell at Melbourne Victory and Brett Emerton at Sydney FC have taken the league to another level in terms of quality and exposure. Those signings underpin the fact the A-League has become a very good league.

Do you think that rise in quality throughout the A-League has been noticed by the wider Aussie public? Definitely. The majority of people I spend time with are not actually football people. They are rugby league, AFL or boxing people, and they have all turned around and said, “Wow, what a competition you’ve had this year!” I know what I see, but it’s always nice to hear people outside of the game speaking so highly of it.

How can the A-League keep improving? As time goes on, there will be little tweaks here and there in terms of the type of player we import and the type of teams that prove most successful. The most important thing is the “product”, the actual football played on the pitch, and that has improved incredibly.

If you compare the A-League with the NSL [National Soccer League], in which I played in the late ’80s, what I have found is that a lot of the young kids who are coming through now have been in full-time professional football from a much younger age, and that is starting to show in the quality we see. It is simple: the more you do something, the better you get at it.

Onto the Socceroos. Australia has been drawn in Group B alongside Japan, Iraq, Jordan and Oman for World Cup qualification. How confident do you feel about the Socceroos making the

2014 World Cup finals in Brazil? We got the tougher of the two Asian qualification groups. A lot of people disagree with that, but in Group A there is Lebanon and Qatar and, no disrespect, I would much rather face them than Jordan and Oman. In terms of the other teams, Iraq has been tough to beat in the past, while Japan is our closest rival, alongside South Korea. I am still quietly confident, but it is going to be tough. We need to ensure that our players who are not involved in a weekly competition are kept on the boil.

If we make it to Brazil in 2014, that will be our third consecutive World Cup finals. Quite an achievement for a nation that didn’t make the finals for the 32 years prior... A truly wonderful achievement! I think people realise how big a deal that is, but it’s only human nature that once you have achieved something, doing it again seems less impressive. Some people have got a little bit complacent, but we should not underestimate how difficult it is to qualify for a World Cup.

There are plenty of international teams who are getting better all the time, especially in Asia. We are a top-quality side, so rival teams are always well prepared for us and will always make things difficult for us.

How are you enjoying life as a football pundit and commentator? It is fantastic. There’s nothing like playing, but this is the next best thing.

Is football punditry the long-term plan? Well, I’m not going to play again! [prolonged Bozza cackle]

Q&A

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Former soccer star Mark “Bozza” Bosnich has turned his troubled life around to establish himself as a leading voice on the game in Australia. Penthouse speaks with the goalkeeping legend about the A-League, the Socceroos’ chances at the 2014 World Cup, and his new life as a pundit

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Interview: Trevor Treharne

THE FAITH’Keeping

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[FIVE MINUTES WITH… Mark Bosnich]

WWW.AUSTRALIANPENTHOUSE.COM.AU 41

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JUIC

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“The new signings have taken the

league to another level in terms of

quality and exposure”

1989–1991 Manchester United 1991–1992 Sydney United 1992–1999 Aston Villa 1999–2001 Manchester United

Senior playing career

’Keeping

2001–2003 Chelsea 2008 Central Coast Mariners2009 Sydney Olympic1993–2000 Australia

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