Australian tennis' biggest active oddity ends as Popyrin advances in French Open

He was in Daniel Levy's shoes 30 years ago. Instead of sacking Ange, he called in sick

Sydney Morning Herald

an hour ago

Sydney Morning Herald

He was in Daniel Levy's shoes 30 years ago. Instead of sacking Ange, he called in sick

George Vasilopoulos made a lot of big decisions as president of South Melbourne Hellas – from bringing the great Ferenc Puskás to the club as coach, to negotiating the construction of Lakeside Stadium with Victoria's then-Premier Jeff Kennett when Melbourne stole the Australian F1 Grand Prix from Adelaide, to helping shape the future of Australian soccer during his time as a board member of the national federation. But his biggest decision was the one he didn't make – and the one Daniel Levy couldn't resist. Five games into the 1996-97 National Soccer League season – Ange Postecoglou's first in charge of South Melbourne – they were bottom of the ladder, without a win. 'Bottom last,' as Vasilopoulos says. It was the sort of form that no coach would survive at Hellas, who were then regarded as Australia's premier club – and under the previous president, Sam Papasavas, it was usually Vasilopolous who would have to deliver the news to those in the firing line. 'Sam used to send me and the secretary to the airport to say [to the coach], 'Please don't come on Tuesday.' We'd sack him at the airport, before he comes back to the dressing room,' he recalls. Postecoglou, aged just 30 at the time, was a controversial appointment to begin with – but one that Vasilopoulos deeply believed in, despite the prevailing view around the club that it was a gamble gone predictably wrong. It was a view that even Postecoglou himself seemed to share. After losing 2-1 away to Adelaide City – their fifth game without success – Vasilopoulos remembers going into South Melbourne's dressing room at Hindmarsh Stadium and closing the door behind him. 'Ange got very emotional,' he says. 'I looked at him. 'Ange, what's happening?' He said, 'Well, pres ... maybe this wasn't meant to be for me.' These are his words, not mine. 'I stopped a little bit, because I could see he was serious. I said, 'Ange, promise me one thing. Don't say anything after we leave here to a reporter, to the players, or anyone on the committee – because you won't be able to take it back, Ange. What you told me now, if you say it to anybody else, you won't be able to take it back.'' Senior players had already told Vasilopoulos that Postecoglou wasn't the problem. If anything, the team was trying too hard for him, they said. The next day, there was a board meeting planned. Vasilopoulos' vice-president, Bill Georgantis, gave him a call to tell him the other directors had gathered enough signatures to have Postecoglou sacked. They had the numbers. The longer Ange was in the job, the worse off they thought club would be. 'I was tired,' Vasilopoulos said. 'But I had this inside information. I said to my wife: 'Can you ring the secretary? Tell him George won't be coming, he's not feeling well today.'' With no president, the board meeting couldn't take place. Mission accomplished. Postecoglou kept his job, and South Melbourne won their next game 1-0 against the Newcastle Breakers – beginning a six-match unbeaten run. It wasn't a lie. Vasilopoulos was feeling a bit off. But only a bit. 'I'm not a billionaire like him, but I would have given him a few words of advice: 'Mate, you're making a bloody big mistake here'.' What George Vasilopolous would have told Daniel Levy 'It was 60-40,' he says – as in, 60 per cent motivated by the desire to foil the move against Postecoglou by the other board members, and 40 per cent genuine tiredness. 'After that, what happened? Back-to-back championships, going to Brazil, winning everything.' 'This is not the way to do it' Vasilopoulos, now 72, is perhaps the first person in football to have recognised the greatness within Postecoglou. So what did he notice, and when? 'See, that's what these guys now at Tottenham Hotspur don't know,' he says. 'These people, I don't think they know the game like I do.' Vasilopoulos is still coming to terms with the decision taken by Daniel Levy and his board to sack Postecoglou, barely two weeks after he guided Spurs to victory in the Europa League – their first trophy in 17 years, and the greatest moment in the club's modern history. Levy has now been through 19 different managers in his 24 years as chairman of the club – the latest being former Brentford boss Thomas Frank, whose appointment was confirmed on Thursday night (AEST). As the flood of messages from Spurs players over the past week has shown, they all wanted Postecoglou to stay. 'I would have loved to be in the boardroom with this guy [Levy],' Vasilopoulos says. 'I would have kicked him under the table. I'm not a billionaire like him, but I would have given him a few words of advice: 'Mate, you're making a bloody big mistake here. I'll save you a lot of millions of dollars. Please, don't do it. Think about this. Give him another year.' The next year, it would have happened for Ange. 'The players … they know the game, the feeling in the dressing room – from a very young age, they know. I knew that feeling too. And that's what they're going to go through now in London.' Vasilopoulos is speaking from personal experience. In the 1983 season, a few years after he had joined the committee, South Melbourne went through four different coaches – Tommy Docherty, Mick Watson, Rale Rasic and finally Len McKendry, who would go on to give Postecoglou his debut as a player the following season. 'As a young man sitting back in the boardroom, I had no say,' he says. 'I said to myself, driving home one day: 'George, this is not the way to do it. You've got to put all your time and effort to get to know the feeling in the dressing room, see how the players feel.' Because the whole game is there. The feeling in the dressing room, for me, it's like religion. It's like going to church. 'Get to know that and never make this mistake, George.' I never thought I'd get this opportunity, to become president of this club. 'But if you ever get a chance, or get some influence, whoever is there ... advise them not to bloody do this, mate.'' When he became president in 1988, Vasilopoulos says he ran South Melbourne like a 'supremo'. That's not arrogance, but the reality at a club where, back then, there was no general manager or chief executive. Unlike the other board members, who would come and go, he would put in 12-hour shifts every day, without pay – so every major call was his to make, from which players they'd bring in, to what meals they'd eat after matches, to who they'd employ as the coach. He knew the Postecoglou family, and Ange's father Jim, very well. He remembers the day when Postecoglou was named in South Melbourne's senior team for the first time. Vasilopoulos had just opened the gates at Middle Park when Ange, flanked by his old man, walked in with a big smile on his face. 'The youth team was playing a curtain-raiser,' he says. 'I said, 'You're a bit late for the game, mate.' He said, 'No, no, no, George. Len McKendry called me into the squad!' 'I said, 'Mate!' I hugged him and I kissed him.' Vasilopoulos used to spend a lot of time with the team, on buses and planes, in and around the dressing room. In Postecoglou, he observed a rare type of character who was the 'conduit' between the various social cliques, rather than belonging to any of them. He could tell he had everyone's respect. And he could see the effect he would have on other players, particularly as captain. For example, on long away trips, Postecoglou would come up with quizzes – sport, trivia, pop culture, whatever – to get their minds off football and relax them. 'No other player did that,' he says. After Frank Arok was sacked, and Postecoglou filled in as interim coach for the final three games of the 1995-96 season, there was a push for South Melbourne to land a big name, befitting of their status – someone like Adelaide City's Zoran Matic. 'I had to find a way of not getting him,' Vasilopoulos says. 'He wanted $150,000. He wanted a brand new car, a house with a swimming pool. I took it to the board. I said, 'It's a lot of money. I can't find it. If you can find it, we'll bring him here.' 'But Ange was behind the scenes, you know. I told him, 'I'm thinking of giving you the job.' Frank said, 'Don't look anywhere else. Do whatever you want to do politically.' Because he knew that the board wasn't sometimes friendly towards Ange. People in Melbourne wanted someone big for Hellas. It was a big club. And not having the experience, it was very difficult to convince people the guy would do the job.' Not long afterwards, Vasilopoulos made a bold prediction: that Postecoglou would go on to coach the Socceroos one day. He said that to Peter Desira, the former Herald Sun football writer, upon his appointment. 'I used to do a lot of interviews ... I knew what people wanted to read. I was good at that,' Vasilopoulos says. 'Peter said, 'George, I'm going to print this. I don't want you to look foolish, mate. This is a big statement, what you've said.' He printed it. Some of the board members said, 'George, you shouldn't make a statement like this. It makes the club look a bit foolish.' 'But I knew. It was in my heart.' 'I believe in something bigger than us' Vasilopoulos stepped down in 2002, after 25 years of service on the committee and 14 as South Melbourne's president. There was a move to squeeze him off the board, and the catalyst was the club's greatest moment on the international stage: the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship, held in Brazil in 2000. At that tournament, Postecoglou went head-to-head with Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, Romario's Vasco da Gama and Mexican club Necaxa. Though Hellas lost all three games, they gave an excellent account of themselves and the Australian game – and their appearance netted them $4.5 million, as well as an extra $1.7 million for Soccer Australia, who at that stage were in financial turmoil. That prize money was like 'divine intervention' for Vasilopoulos. When the club had needed cash in the past, the only way he could secure a loan from the bank was by providing a personal guarantee. At that stage, they owed $500,000. 'I would have lost my house,' he says. 'The ground didn't belong to us, we couldn't give them security. Brazil saved it. [The prize money] cleared everything. Money in the bank when I left. It helped Ange to get a better job [as Australian national youth coach]. 'I believe in something bigger than us.' But money changes people. Vasilopoulos soon started hearing gossip about him being past his use-by date as president, how the club could make bigger strides with new blood on the committee, and how they didn't want him interfering. 'I could hear all these things. It was very hurtful,' he says. 'We went to the AGM ... I could see some noises coming up. My family used to come. I've got two boys. One of them said, 'Dad, I think you've had your time here.' 'When we managed the club under crisis, everyone was happy. I would find the money, we'd get the wages, everyone used to get paid. Now all of a sudden, with money in the bank, everyone wants to be president. I walked away. They wanted to do their own thing. 'That was my big disappointment: not enough respect, not enough recognition what you've done, and 'we can do better'. That's the new mentality of the young people. I looked at [my predecessors] like they're my mentors. I learned from them, I respected them, I made sure there's room up in the VIP for them. These guys here, they turn off. They stop talking. They used to send me a letter, signed by autopen, like Joe Biden. You don't sign an autopen letter to me and ask me to come to my ground – I build the freaking ground, anyway.' Vasilopoulos says he hasn't been to a South Melbourne game since – or any game of football anywhere, barring a few exceptions, which he did not particularly enjoy. He still feels hurt. His connection to South Melbourne runs so deep that even talking about his time in the game and how it ended can feel overwhelming. That's why he has very rarely spoken to media since his involvement in the game ended, despite many requests – including some from this masthead. 'For the last 20 years, I never have any interviews. People ring me up, they want TV, radio – no, I don't do it, because it brings up this emotion,' he says. 'I can't control it. I want to bury it. I got very tired, you know? At the end, I got chronic fatigue. 'I know how much work I put in there. I prefer to stay away. I just check the news. Plus, the other thing now – I cannot watch South Melbourne go and play Oakleigh, or Northcote, in front of 200 people, in the cold and wet. Why would I do that? Because I get more disappointed to see my team play against that – no, I could not do it. So I locked it out. The memories I have are good memories: winning championships, being with Ange, being in the dressing room, going to Brazil. That's the memories I want.' Tears welled as he went through his personal story, from growing up in the Greek city of Kalamata ('Where the olives come from'), to his memories listening to soccer games on a small battery-operated Philips radio ('Thank Christ for those batteries'), to the first match he and his brother saw once they'd arrived in Australia between South Melbourne and Brunswick Juventus in May 1965. At first, they thought they were watching the Greek national team and the real Juventus from Italy, because their uniforms and logos matched the ones on the player cards they had collected back home. 'For me, that was the moment,' he says. 'I fell in love.' Vasilopoulos continues to draw immense pride from Postecoglou's journey, which he helped launch. Since Ange left Australia in 2017, he has been following the fortunes of Yokohama F. Marinos, Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur from his couch at home. He prayed for him before the Europa League final, and hoped against hope that Levy wouldn't pull the trigger. He's not sure what's next for Postecoglou, who has already been sounded out by other clubs in Europe and the Premier League. All he knows is that he's far from finished at football's top level. But there is one job he wants to see him take on, whether it's now or in the latter stages of his managerial career – one that's been offered to him in the past. 'I see Ange as the next coach of the national team of Greece,' Vasilopoulos says. Loading 'I don't know the situation of the current coach, how many years contract he has. But if I was the Greek federation, whoever is in charge there now – if you print it, they will read it – I want this guy to put Ange's name there. And also the prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He's the guy that's supporting a lot of people that left Greece – like Ange, like me – at a very young age, and made success in their field. Because he's asking people to come back. 'This is for the prime minister now, Mitsotakis, from me: put Ange's name there. 'Greece hasn't won anything since Euro 2004. Ange can do something like that. They've got a squad of beautiful young players now. He will lift Greece to the European standard. This man can do it, I believe it. 'I don't like travelling any more. Over 70, your life changes. I don't have the energy. But I'll go to Greece for this. At the press conference, I'll be there.'

The Age

an hour ago

The Age

He was in Daniel Levy's shoes 30 years ago. Instead of sacking Ange, he called in sick

George Vasilopoulos made a lot of big decisions as president of South Melbourne Hellas – from bringing the great Ferenc Puskás to the club as coach, to negotiating the construction of Lakeside Stadium with Victoria's then-Premier Jeff Kennett when Melbourne stole the Australian F1 Grand Prix from Adelaide, to helping shape the future of Australian soccer during his time as a board member of the national federation. But his biggest decision was the one he didn't make – and the one Daniel Levy couldn't resist. Five games into the 1996-97 National Soccer League season – Ange Postecoglou's first in charge of South Melbourne – they were bottom of the ladder, without a win. 'Bottom last,' as Vasilopoulos says. It was the sort of form that no coach would survive at Hellas, who were then regarded as Australia's premier club – and under the previous president, Sam Papasavas, it was usually Vasilopolous who would have to deliver the news to those in the firing line. 'Sam used to send me and the secretary to the airport to say [to the coach], 'Please don't come on Tuesday.' We'd sack him at the airport, before he comes back to the dressing room,' he recalls. Postecoglou, aged just 30 at the time, was a controversial appointment to begin with – but one that Vasilopoulos deeply believed in, despite the prevailing view around the club that it was a gamble gone predictably wrong. It was a view that even Postecoglou himself seemed to share. After losing 2-1 away to Adelaide City – their fifth game without success – Vasilopoulos remembers going into South Melbourne's dressing room at Hindmarsh Stadium and closing the door behind him. 'Ange got very emotional,' he says. 'I looked at him. 'Ange, what's happening?' He said, 'Well, pres ... maybe this wasn't meant to be for me.' These are his words, not mine. 'I stopped a little bit, because I could see he was serious. I said, 'Ange, promise me one thing. Don't say anything after we leave here to a reporter, to the players, or anyone on the committee – because you won't be able to take it back, Ange. What you told me now, if you say it to anybody else, you won't be able to take it back.'' Senior players had already told Vasilopoulos that Postecoglou wasn't the problem. If anything, the team was trying too hard for him, they said. The next day, there was a board meeting planned. Vasilopoulos' vice-president, Bill Georgantis, gave him a call to tell him the other directors had gathered enough signatures to have Postecoglou sacked. They had the numbers. The longer Ange was in the job, the worse off they thought club would be. 'I was tired,' Vasilopoulos said. 'But I had this inside information. I said to my wife: 'Can you ring the secretary? Tell him George won't be coming, he's not feeling well today.'' With no president, the board meeting couldn't take place. Mission accomplished. Postecoglou kept his job, and South Melbourne won their next game 1-0 against the Newcastle Breakers – beginning a six-match unbeaten run. It wasn't a lie. Vasilopoulos was feeling a bit off. But only a bit. 'I'm not a billionaire like him, but I would have given him a few words of advice: 'Mate, you're making a bloody big mistake here'.' What George Vasilopolous would have told Daniel Levy 'It was 60-40,' he says – as in, 60 per cent motivated by the desire to foil the move against Postecoglou by the other board members, and 40 per cent genuine tiredness. 'After that, what happened? Back-to-back championships, going to Brazil, winning everything.' 'This is not the way to do it' Vasilopoulos, now 72, is perhaps the first person in football to have recognised the greatness within Postecoglou. So what did he notice, and when? 'See, that's what these guys now at Tottenham Hotspur don't know,' he says. 'These people, I don't think they know the game like I do.' Vasilopoulos is still coming to terms with the decision taken by Daniel Levy and his board to sack Postecoglou, barely two weeks after he guided Spurs to victory in the Europa League – their first trophy in 17 years, and the greatest moment in the club's modern history. Levy has now been through 19 different managers in his 24 years as chairman of the club – the latest being former Brentford boss Thomas Frank, whose appointment was confirmed on Thursday night (AEST). As the flood of messages from Spurs players over the past week has shown, they all wanted Postecoglou to stay. 'I would have loved to be in the boardroom with this guy [Levy],' Vasilopoulos says. 'I would have kicked him under the table. I'm not a billionaire like him, but I would have given him a few words of advice: 'Mate, you're making a bloody big mistake here. I'll save you a lot of millions of dollars. Please, don't do it. Think about this. Give him another year.' The next year, it would have happened for Ange. 'The players … they know the game, the feeling in the dressing room – from a very young age, they know. I knew that feeling too. And that's what they're going to go through now in London.' Vasilopoulos is speaking from personal experience. In the 1983 season, a few years after he had joined the committee, South Melbourne went through four different coaches – Tommy Docherty, Mick Watson, Rale Rasic and finally Len McKendry, who would go on to give Postecoglou his debut as a player the following season. 'As a young man sitting back in the boardroom, I had no say,' he says. 'I said to myself, driving home one day: 'George, this is not the way to do it. You've got to put all your time and effort to get to know the feeling in the dressing room, see how the players feel.' Because the whole game is there. The feeling in the dressing room, for me, it's like religion. It's like going to church. 'Get to know that and never make this mistake, George.' I never thought I'd get this opportunity, to become president of this club. 'But if you ever get a chance, or get some influence, whoever is there ... advise them not to bloody do this, mate.'' When he became president in 1988, Vasilopoulos says he ran South Melbourne like a 'supremo'. That's not arrogance, but the reality at a club where, back then, there was no general manager or chief executive. Unlike the other board members, who would come and go, he would put in 12-hour shifts every day, without pay – so every major call was his to make, from which players they'd bring in, to what meals they'd eat after matches, to who they'd employ as the coach. He knew the Postecoglou family, and Ange's father Jim, very well. He remembers the day when Postecoglou was named in South Melbourne's senior team for the first time. Vasilopoulos had just opened the gates at Middle Park when Ange, flanked by his old man, walked in with a big smile on his face. 'The youth team was playing a curtain-raiser,' he says. 'I said, 'You're a bit late for the game, mate.' He said, 'No, no, no, George. Len McKendry called me into the squad!' 'I said, 'Mate!' I hugged him and I kissed him.' Vasilopoulos used to spend a lot of time with the team, on buses and planes, in and around the dressing room. In Postecoglou, he observed a rare type of character who was the 'conduit' between the various social cliques, rather than belonging to any of them. He could tell he had everyone's respect. And he could see the effect he would have on other players, particularly as captain. For example, on long away trips, Postecoglou would come up with quizzes – sport, trivia, pop culture, whatever – to get their minds off football and relax them. 'No other player did that,' he says. After Frank Arok was sacked, and Postecoglou filled in as interim coach for the final three games of the 1995-96 season, there was a push for South Melbourne to land a big name, befitting of their status – someone like Adelaide City's Zoran Matic. 'I had to find a way of not getting him,' Vasilopoulos says. 'He wanted $150,000. He wanted a brand new car, a house with a swimming pool. I took it to the board. I said, 'It's a lot of money. I can't find it. If you can find it, we'll bring him here.' 'But Ange was behind the scenes, you know. I told him, 'I'm thinking of giving you the job.' Frank said, 'Don't look anywhere else. Do whatever you want to do politically.' Because he knew that the board wasn't sometimes friendly towards Ange. People in Melbourne wanted someone big for Hellas. It was a big club. And not having the experience, it was very difficult to convince people the guy would do the job.' Not long afterwards, Vasilopoulos made a bold prediction: that Postecoglou would go on to coach the Socceroos one day. He said that to Peter Desira, the former Herald Sun football writer, upon his appointment. 'I used to do a lot of interviews ... I knew what people wanted to read. I was good at that,' Vasilopoulos says. 'Peter said, 'George, I'm going to print this. I don't want you to look foolish, mate. This is a big statement, what you've said.' He printed it. Some of the board members said, 'George, you shouldn't make a statement like this. It makes the club look a bit foolish.' 'But I knew. It was in my heart.' 'I believe in something bigger than us' Vasilopoulos stepped down in 2002, after 25 years of service on the committee and 14 as South Melbourne's president. There was a move to squeeze him off the board, and the catalyst was the club's greatest moment on the international stage: the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship, held in Brazil in 2000. At that tournament, Postecoglou went head-to-head with Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, Romario's Vasco da Gama and Mexican club Necaxa. Though Hellas lost all three games, they gave an excellent account of themselves and the Australian game – and their appearance netted them $4.5 million, as well as an extra $1.7 million for Soccer Australia, who at that stage were in financial turmoil. That prize money was like 'divine intervention' for Vasilopoulos. When the club had needed cash in the past, the only way he could secure a loan from the bank was by providing a personal guarantee. At that stage, they owed $500,000. 'I would have lost my house,' he says. 'The ground didn't belong to us, we couldn't give them security. Brazil saved it. [The prize money] cleared everything. Money in the bank when I left. It helped Ange to get a better job [as Australian national youth coach]. 'I believe in something bigger than us.' But money changes people. Vasilopoulos soon started hearing gossip about him being past his use-by date as president, how the club could make bigger strides with new blood on the committee, and how they didn't want him interfering. 'I could hear all these things. It was very hurtful,' he says. 'We went to the AGM ... I could see some noises coming up. My family used to come. I've got two boys. One of them said, 'Dad, I think you've had your time here.' 'When we managed the club under crisis, everyone was happy. I would find the money, we'd get the wages, everyone used to get paid. Now all of a sudden, with money in the bank, everyone wants to be president. I walked away. They wanted to do their own thing. 'That was my big disappointment: not enough respect, not enough recognition what you've done, and 'we can do better'. That's the new mentality of the young people. I looked at [my predecessors] like they're my mentors. I learned from them, I respected them, I made sure there's room up in the VIP for them. These guys here, they turn off. They stop talking. They used to send me a letter, signed by autopen, like Joe Biden. You don't sign an autopen letter to me and ask me to come to my ground – I build the freaking ground, anyway.' Vasilopoulos says he hasn't been to a South Melbourne game since – or any game of football anywhere, barring a few exceptions, which he did not particularly enjoy. He still feels hurt. His connection to South Melbourne runs so deep that even talking about his time in the game and how it ended can feel overwhelming. That's why he has very rarely spoken to media since his involvement in the game ended, despite many requests – including some from this masthead. 'For the last 20 years, I never have any interviews. People ring me up, they want TV, radio – no, I don't do it, because it brings up this emotion,' he says. 'I can't control it. I want to bury it. I got very tired, you know? At the end, I got chronic fatigue. 'I know how much work I put in there. I prefer to stay away. I just check the news. Plus, the other thing now – I cannot watch South Melbourne go and play Oakleigh, or Northcote, in front of 200 people, in the cold and wet. Why would I do that? Because I get more disappointed to see my team play against that – no, I could not do it. So I locked it out. The memories I have are good memories: winning championships, being with Ange, being in the dressing room, going to Brazil. That's the memories I want.' Tears welled as he went through his personal story, from growing up in the Greek city of Kalamata ('Where the olives come from'), to his memories listening to soccer games on a small battery-operated Philips radio ('Thank Christ for those batteries'), to the first match he and his brother saw once they'd arrived in Australia between South Melbourne and Brunswick Juventus in May 1965. At first, they thought they were watching the Greek national team and the real Juventus from Italy, because their uniforms and logos matched the ones on the player cards they had collected back home. 'For me, that was the moment,' he says. 'I fell in love.' Vasilopoulos continues to draw immense pride from Postecoglou's journey, which he helped launch. Since Ange left Australia in 2017, he has been following the fortunes of Yokohama F. Marinos, Celtic and Tottenham Hotspur from his couch at home. He prayed for him before the Europa League final, and hoped against hope that Levy wouldn't pull the trigger. He's not sure what's next for Postecoglou, who has already been sounded out by other clubs in Europe and the Premier League. All he knows is that he's far from finished at football's top level. But there is one job he wants to see him take on, whether it's now or in the latter stages of his managerial career – one that's been offered to him in the past. 'I see Ange as the next coach of the national team of Greece,' Vasilopoulos says. Loading 'I don't know the situation of the current coach, how many years contract he has. But if I was the Greek federation, whoever is in charge there now – if you print it, they will read it – I want this guy to put Ange's name there. And also the prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He's the guy that's supporting a lot of people that left Greece – like Ange, like me – at a very young age, and made success in their field. Because he's asking people to come back. 'This is for the prime minister now, Mitsotakis, from me: put Ange's name there. 'Greece hasn't won anything since Euro 2004. Ange can do something like that. They've got a squad of beautiful young players now. He will lift Greece to the European standard. This man can do it, I believe it. 'I don't like travelling any more. Over 70, your life changes. I don't have the energy. But I'll go to Greece for this. At the press conference, I'll be there.'

Australian Olympian and national champion Heath Ryan suspended over ‘alarming' whipping video

7NEWS

an hour ago

7NEWS

Australian Olympian and national champion Heath Ryan suspended over ‘alarming' whipping video

An Olympian and Australian dressage champion has been suspended after video emerged of him whipping a horse at his property in New South Wales. In a v ideo uploaded by DressageHub, Australian Grand Prix champion Heath Ryan can be seen in a short video allegedly whipping a horse 42 times in a matter of minutes. Heath Ryan made his Olympic debut at the age of 50 at the 2008 Beijing Games. Ryan had previously been the assistant coach of the Australian Team at the Olympic Games in Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. Ryan coached the eventing teams to gold medals in Atlanta and Sydney. He competed in individual and team dressage at the 2008 Beijing Games, placing 35th and eighth respectively. Ryan is also a popular commentator for various events, including Equestrian news sites such as Equestrian Life for his ' Ryan's Rave' opinion pieces. Equestrian Australia, Australia's sporting body for the equestrian Olympic sports, has been quick to suspend Ryan pending further investigations and are 'alarmed' by the actions seen in the video. 'Equestrian Australia is extremely alarmed and concerned by the treatment of the horse shown in this footage,' they said in a statement to 'Equestrian Australia's Complaints, Disputes and Discipline Policy includes high standards to protect all participants and their horses against any adverse physical, social, and emotional conditions during all EA endorsed equestrian activities that are conducted under the auspices of EA or by any EA affiliate. 'We also have a Code of Conduct which requires participants to adhere to the FEI code of conduct for the welfare of the horse. 'The person depicted in the video is a member of Equestrian Australia. 'Equestrian Australia has this afternoon imposed a provisional suspension of this person's membership of Equestrian Australia and their rights, privileges and benefits associated with their membership.' Ryan is now banned from taking part in any competitions affiliated with Equestrian Australia, with the suspension affective immediately barring him from the current competition season anywhere in Australia. Because of his Equestrian Australia suspension, Ryan has been automatically suspended by the world equestrian sports body, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). Equestrian Australia has also denied they asked for Dressagehub to remove the footage on YouTube. An RSPCA NSW spokesperson confirmed to a report has been made to them, with an investigation into the alleged abuse starting. 'After being sent footage this morning that contains distressing content of a person whipping a horse, RSPCA NSW has commenced an investigation and will be making further enquiries,' they said. In NSW, the penalties for animal cruelty can vary depending on the severity of the offence. For general cruelty acts, individuals face a maximum penalty of $44,000 and/or 1 year imprisonment, while corporations face a $220,000 fine. RYAN'S RESPONSE Hours after the video was made public, Ryan responded to the video on his Ryan's horses facebook page, claiming the horse was dangerous and had hospitalised another rider and friend of his. Ryan posted a video of the same horse, Nico, with another rider on him. Where the horse can be seen being pushed forward without a whip by a female rider using a training aid gadgets, such as spurs and a 'stabilising' martingale, which is used prevent the horse lifting his head up. According to Ryan, Nico is now 'thriving' under a new owner and rider. Ryan claims the video comes from an 'unhappy ex-employee' 2 years ago. He doesn't apologise for the whipping of Nico, instead claiming he has never ridden like that, and said it was a 'life or death moment for Nico.' 'I felt obliged to the horse to just have a look and see if it was possibly salvageable,' he said. 'I have never ridden anything like it. I am so sad this was caught on video. 'If you think I did that flippantly, you are wrong. I hated reaching out in those moments to Nico and asking the hard questions. That was the last place I wanted to be. I have never before ridden a horse that reacted like that, and I certainly will never do it again.' Ryan said that Nico would've gone to a slaughterhouse if he had not intervened. Ryan has not responded to his suspension. WHAT IS NAPPING? In the sport of dressage, or flatwork used for other disciplines such as Showjumping or Eventing, the horse is taught to move forward off the riders leg with minimal interference from the rider. A long dressage whip is commonly used in training, to tap horses on their flanks to encourage engagement from their hind end, so they move forward into the bridle and contact from the rider. Napping behaviour by the horse Nico in the video is a known negative behaviour, which according to Horse & Country describes the behaviour as a horse who refuses to move forward, often planting itself, rearing, spinning, or even turning and heading back towards home or another familiar location. This behaviour can be a challenge for new and experienced equestrians, according to Horse & Country. Other issues than can influence a horse's risk of negative behaviour include: Physical discomfort. If a horse is in pain — whether from an ill-fitting saddle, sore muscles, or dental problems — it may resist moving forward. In these cases, identifying and addressing the source of discomfort should always be the first step. Lack of confidence: Horses that feel uncertain or anxious, especially in unfamiliar environments, may use napping as a way to cope with their lack of confidence. Reinforced behaviour: Napping can become a habit if the horse has previously been allowed to return to a place of comfort after an episode. If a horse has learned that this behaviour gets them what they want, they are more likely to keep doing it. Social instinct: Horses are social animals, and when separated from companions, especially during solo outings, they may nap as a way to seek a return to the herd. Mental stimulation or boredom: Horses that are underworked, bored, or lack proper mental stimulation may develop napping as a coping mechanism to deal with their idle state. VIDEO BACKLASH As other news outlets both in Australian and internationally started to pick up the video posted by Dressagehub, there have been thousands of comments wanting Equestrian sports bodies to take such incidents of abuse caught on video more seriously, with some equestrians wanting a lifetime ban for riders who are caught doing the wrong thing. Another NSW dressage rider commenting on the DressageHub video being shared in Facebook equestrian groups labelled Ryan a 'barbarian'. 'This makes me physically sick,' they said. 'All it shows is that Heath is not a horseman trying to find a way through an issue but a barbarian. 'Not acceptable, whatever his excuses. I bet Tristan Tucker or Michael Pearce or any other true horseman could have done a calm soft job of helping this horse understand. Sorry Heath, you should be very very ashamed.' The Animal Justice Party of NSW has also comment on the video, pushing for an independent office for animal protection. 'Olympian Heath Ryan was caught on video whipping a horse named Nico around 40 times. His defense? That it was in the horse's 'best interest',' they said on Facebook. 'No animal deserves this. 'This isn't an isolated incident, it's a symptom of a system that lacks real accountability and protection for animals, especially in competitive sports. Horses are sentient beings, not tools to be pushed until they break. 'We're calling for an independent Office of Animal Protection. An office that puts animal welfare above industry interests.' On Friday, Bates Saddles announced they have dropped Heath Ryan's sponsorship in response to the whipping footage. Bates is one of the biggest saddlemakers in the world, and are very popular for various equestrian disciplines. 'At Bates Saddles, horse welfare isn't just our priority, it's our purpose. Horses deserve nothing less than our complete respect, care and protection,' the said on Facebook 'We are shocked and heartbroken by the recent video involving Heath Ryan and do not support any treatment that causes distress or harm to horses. The video footage is completely at odds with the Heath Ryan we have partnered with for decades, and we have immediately ended our sponsorship. The saddles will remain at the property, as the comfort and safety of horses must come first. 'We respect the due process that the relevant federations will follow in their investigations, and we will not be making any further comments while this process takes place.'

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He was in Daniel Levy's shoes 30 years ago. Instead of sacking Ange, he called in sick

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