Hollywood star tells Australia's World Cup critics not to act like "twits"

By Duncan Mackay

December 18 – Hollywood actor Anthony LaPaglia (pictured right), a former goalkeeper with Adelaide City, has urged the Australian Football League (AFL) and National Rugby League (NRL) not to act like “twits” and scupper Australia’s bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

The Without A Trace and Frasier star fears that the row started by the AFL and NRL, who fear they would have to abandon their seasons if Australia wins the right to host the tournament, could fatally undermine the bid, which is consideredone of the favourites, especially for the 2022 World Cup.

LaPaglia told the Sydney Morning Herald: ”We’re talking about the nation of Australia and establishing ourselves, as we did with the [2000 Sydney] Olympics, as a cutting-edge, up to date, progressive country,.

“To do anything other than support the bid reinforces that we might possibly be a backwater.

”But I think some people like that idea.

“They want to keep it all ‘the-way-it-was-because-I-liked-it’.

“But it’s like, come on guys, they know damn well, on so many different levels, it’s a huge benefit to all the codes of football.

“And, more importantly, it’s important to the country.

”Don’t get me wrong, I love Australia, but it’s an island and sometimes it has an island mentality.

“This stuff is what reinforces that.

“If they’re threatened by the idea it may push soccer up into a position where it threatens their code, once again, they need to have more confidence in their own code.”

LaPaglia (pictured), who retains his close links with football in Australia as part-owner of A-League club Sydney FC, claimed that the rival codes need not fear the World Cup coming to Australia and said they, like football, would only enjoy additional spin-offs from hosting the event.

He said: ”You have to understand the benefits, the long-term benefits, that will help all codes.

“Number one, all the stadiums will be improved, retro-fitted, and that will help them in the long run.

“So you have to shut down for six months and you have to play in another stadium?

“That’s a short-term problem that will give you long-term benefits, far into the future.

“You can’t get stuck in myopic, circular and small thinking.

”AFL and NRL have been around for 100 years or so, they’re not going to disappear, not at all – unless they act like twits and then it might.

“If you’re an AFL fan, you’re an AFL fan.

“If you’re a rugby league fan, you’re a rugby league fan.

“There’s no reason you can’t cross over and watch the other sports.”

The 50-year old also called Federal Government to stand-up to any bullying from the rival codes.

LaPaglia said: ”Politicians, for better or worse, run the country and I don’t think they should be dictated to by some guys who’ve got a bit of power in the AFL.

“‘Since when does a sporting body dictate to the Government what is best for the country in terms of economy, PR and putting Australia on the map?

“If anybody has any doubts, send them a tape of the 2000 Olympics, second to none anywhere in the world.

”We’re going to bring massive amounts of people that are going to inject massive amounts of money into our economy.

“Which part of this is bad so far?

“I don’t get it.”

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