12 Dec The "biggest problem" in Australian football, according to Kosmina

Former Socceroo John Kosmina has defended the current state of Australian football, calling out what he describes as rampant negativity in the game.

Kosmina, who coached Sydney FC and Adelaide United in the A-League, says the lack of unity from the sport’s various stakeholders is what’s really hurting the game.

“They (crowds) have probably plateaued but over a longer period the averages aren’t too bad,” he The Round Ball with Dom & Doddsy on SEN SA.

“The biggest problem we’ve got is there’s been so much negativity surrounding the game for the past three or four years with the congress issue and the A-League clubs banding together to pull away with the FFA.

“There was (some form of) anti-Lowy sentiment which I don’t agree with – if it wasn’t for Frank Lowy, we wouldn’t have an A-League.

“There’s been a lot of negativity but partly that’s how the game is. There’s a common belief that the game is still very fractured, if we could ever get even some of the waring factions to work together, it would take off astronomically, but it doesn’t work like that.”

Kosmina urged the game’s leaders to position the A-League as a development league largely aimed at selling players overseas.

“The only big problem we had is we’re a small nation in terms of the football world,” he said.

“I think we’ve got to be a development nation; we’re still trying to produce kids and sell them overseas. The thing is anyone can pick up a phone now and they can watch the best players in the world.

“It’s too easy to draw comparisons between the local (competitions) and what happens overseas.”

Listen to the latest episode of The Round Ball with Dom & Doddsy on SEN SA in the player below.