Neill should be stood down as Australian soccer team captain: former player

 Former Australian soccer player and one-time English Premier League championship medal winner Robbie Slater commented on Tuesday that Lucas Neill should immediately be stood down as Australia's captain. The player-turned-commentator said Neill has torn apart an already broken squad with his response to coach Holger Osieck's sacking.

Australia has had successive 6-0 defeats to Brazil and France, leading to a rushed decision to sack Osieck by the Football Federation Australia (FFA).

Slater slammed as "disgraceful" Neill's attempt to defend his position within the squad in his first media appearance since Osieck was axed following the 6-0 loss to France. "It's quite possibly the worst captain's interview, certainly in a football sense, I've ever seen," Slater told Fox Sports. "Lucas is in survival mode. He's got that siege mentality and you can see that in the interview - it's very defensive. He's living in a cocoon. He's not seeing things clear and he's not seeing the reality."

Slater said there is a case to be stood down as Australian captain straight away by FFA CEO David Gallop.


Neill overnight dismissed a call by former goalkeeper Mark Bosnich to quit the team, and instead questioned the passion of the next generation of Socceroos. "My question to the younger guys who want to play for Australia is: do you dream of playing for Australia and if you do show me the hunger and the desire," Neill said in London. "I think that's where we are lacking now - our attitude towards our national team," he said. Slater said 35-year-old Neill's comments are exactly the opposite of what a captain should be saying. "He has now clearly driven a wedge between the older generation and the younger generation."