Break for Australia in playoff

THE Socceroos have been handed a major boost before their World Cup playoff against Honduras after FIFA confirmed it would erase all leftover yellow cards from earlier qualifiers due to exceptional circumstances.

It means a host of star players will not be at risk of missing the second leg in Sydney through suspension if they receive cautions in Saturday morning’s match in San Pedro Sula.

“This decision is a victory for fair play,” said Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop in a statement.

“We thank FIFA for considering this exceptional circumstance and making their decision.

“This decision will allow both teams to field their best players, on even terms, for these extremely important playoff matches which is what all football fans want to see.”

It is understood FFA officials have been lobbying FIFA for a month to make the ruling.

The chief of Honduras football claimed at the weekend his players would receive a clean slate, but not the Socceroos, sparking controversy.

Under FIFA’s disciplinary code, each confederation can request it to cancel cautions once in any competition.

The Asian Football Confederation asked FIFA to do so after the second round of qualifiers, while CONCACAF had not done so until now.

However, FIFA’s disciplinary committee opted to erase Australia’s single cautions after considering the “disproportion” in matches played in the qualification process in comparison to Honduras.

The news will come as a relief to coach Ange Postecoglou, who can now instruct his players to approach the match normally, without having to worry about the implications of a ban.