It speaks to the growing stature of Australia after their World Cup heroics in Qatar that the Argentine Football Federation sought out the Socceroos as an opponent for their tour of East Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Graham Arnold was only too happy to point out that during a recent catch up with Argentina\u2019s coach Lionel Scaloni in Doha, the 45-year-old lauded the Socceroos\u2019 efforts in Qatar, claiming Arnold\u2019s side were the toughest they faced on their way to claiming the coveted World Cup trophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you want a seat at the world football table, these are the things you\u2019ve got to do,\u201d Football Australia CEO, James Johnson, said this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to host big competitions like the Women\u2019s World Cup. You\u2019ve got to play big opposition like Argentina, you\u2019ve got to play at Wembley. On the women\u2019s side, you\u2019ve got to play the best in the world, you\u2019ve got to play the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you look at all these examples in isolation, you might not see the strategy. If you bring it all together, though, there is an undertone, which is, \u2018We\u2019re Australia, we\u2019re here, we\u2019ve got a seat now and we want to stay at the world table.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n