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By contrast, the Socceroos are at risk of playing in front of their lowest crowd in Sydney in years after experiencing sluggish ticket sales for their home friendly against Lebanon at ANZ Stadium in a fortnight. FFA and ANZ Stadium sources told Fairfax Media it was too soon to predict a crowd figure but ticket sales have been alarmingly slow – slower than sales for the Matildas game, albeit for a game held 10 days later.
It will be the Socceroos’ first match in Sydney in a year, since the World Cup qualifying play-off against Honduras, yet there is little demand to see the national team play their only match in NSW before the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE.
It will also be their first ever home match against Lebanon, in a city boasting one of the largest and most concentrated Lebanese diasporas in the world. Of the 230,000 Australians with Lebanese ancestry, almost three-quarters live in Sydney, yet there has been no surge in demand for tickets.
The November 20 friendly will also be the official farewell for Australia’s all-time leading goal scorer, Tim Cahill, after the announcement of his retirement from internationals. Cahill will be honoured at the match and is a strong chance of making a cameo appearance in what would his last appearance for the Socceroos.
Australia first played Lebanon in a friendly in Sidon in 2012, beating the Cedars 3-0. The Socceroos were set to play Lebanon in 2006 for an Asian Cup qualifier, initially marked to be held in South Australia. However, Lebanon were forced to withdraw from qualification and the 2007 Asian Cup after civil infrastructure – including their only international airport – was heavily damaged by bombings during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.
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