Socceroo Stan Lazaridis reveals tension with manager, Guus Hiddink for calling him “The Greek”

·

Socceroos legend Stan Lazaridis has disclosed his tense relationship with former national team manager Guus Hiddink, claiming his manager “tried to break him” in a pre-tournament fitness camp.

Speaking on the Fox Football Podcast with Adam Peacock, the former Birmingham City and West Ham midfielder revealed his displeasure at being labelled as ‘The Greek’ when being described by his manager at the time.

“What I didn’t like was that he was saying ‘I’m going to break that Greek’”.

Offended by the comments, the puzzled Lazardis talked about his confusion being selected while at the same time being singled out for his Greek heritage.

“Well, I’m Australian. I’m not Greek. I’m Greek background but I’m representing the country, so why would you go and say that you’re going to break that Greek? And why is it a personal thing?”

“We didn’t really speak, I reckon he spoke about five words to me in the whole year.”

Speaking about his time during the 2006 World Cup Finals tournament in Germany, Lazaridis questioned a few of his managers’ decisions during the controversial Round of 16 match versus Italy, in which Australia was eliminated from the tournament.

“You know, 10 men (Italian defender Marco Materazzi being sent off in the 50th minute) and not making any changes. He can say he was waiting for extra time but I’m sorry you don’t wait for extra time — you make it happen then.”

“We were playing with eight midfielders and I was on the bench and we had injuries. Harry (Kewell) wasn’t fit, Brett Emerton wasn’t fit, and it was crying out for myself or Johnny (Aloisi) to come on. We might as well lose 3-0.”

Lazaridis concluded by stating that his frustration with the manager was separate to the effort placed by himself and the team during the 2006 World Cup.

“If we’re going back and asking whether I was personal, I was always about Australia — that was first and foremost. I was close with all the boys with Mark Bresciano and Vince Grella and I was really happy.”

“Look, just on a personal thing it was just something between Guus and I and that’s okay, it was just one of those moments.”

Cretan Convention - Web Banner

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

From Metallica to Maritime: The many lives of Greek shipping tycoon Harry Vafias

Though Greek shipping tycoon, Harry Vafias, spends much time working, it certainly isn't a case of 'all work and no play.’

‘I want them to know their word matters’: Peter Georgiou stands against gender violence

Peter Georgiou, a real estate agent from Rushcutters Bay and father of four-year-old twins Leila and Lola, believes change begins at home.

Thessaloniki’s Byzantine walls to shine with new light project

Thessaloniki’s iconic Byzantine Walls are set to be illuminated under a major cultural initiative announced by the Greek Ministry of Culture.

Greek World Heritage Cities face rising climate threats

Iconic Greek cities—Athens, Thessaloniki, Corfu, Rhodes, and Patmos—face serious climate threats, according to a new UNESCO-backed report.

Are apps like Duolingo enough to learn Greek, or do we need a tutor?

For many people who want to learn conversational Greek, an app, can be a very useful addition to your program.

You May Also Like

Intruders target Pappas family home for sixth time in Sydney’s Sandringham

The Pappas family have been left traumatised after a group of masked intruders, armed with knives, targeted their home for the sixth time.

Insight or Perspective: “Kids who grow up bilingual turn to be smarter”

By Eleni Elefterias New parents of pre-school aged children sometimes have the fear that their child will remain behind in English if they persevere with...

Roma Siachos resigns as President of the Hellenic Writers’ Association of Australia

Roma Siachos has resigned as President of the Hellenic Writers' Association of Australia, citing family and personal reasons.