Behind the soccer manager helping Albo
Kevin Muscat has become something of a celebrity in the coastal Chinese city since January 2024 when he became the manager of Shanghai Port FC.
In his first year at the helm, Muscat brought the club its first back-to-back title in the Chinese Super League after Shanghai Port won in 2023 under Javier Pereira. The club is fourth on the table after 16 games in 2025.
On Sunday, the Prime Minister made clear what Muscat's success meant for Australia's diplomatic efforts with the global superpower when he called the manager and his team 'ambassadors'. Anthony Albanese walked The Bund waterfront in Shanghai with Kevin Muscat. NewsWire / Joseph Olbrycht-Palmer Credit: News Corp Australia
'It's great to be here with Kevin Muscat, now the manager here of Shanghai Port FC and, indeed, the premiership-winning manager here,' Mr Albanese said.
'One of the things about Australia and China going forward is that we build the people-to-people relationships.
'You do that by the participation of Australians here, whether it be here in football, whether it be the tennis tournament that is going to take place in Chengdu for the Australian Open.
'Whether it be the business relationships that we have here as well.
'This is an important relationship and I've just been chatting with Kevin about the fact that they are ambassadors as well.'
Muscat welcomed Mr Albanese to China, lending no-small part of his brand to the six-day diplomatic trip.
'It sounds like you've got a big a few days ahead of you, but also thank you for taking the time to saying hello and taking the time to come in and spending this morning with us in Shanghai,' Muscat said.
He then presented Mr Albanese with his own Shanghai Port FC jersey, complete with Mr Albanese's name and a number 10 on the back.
Mr Albanese said he would 'be able to wear that around Australia proudly,' but noted that he had played on Parliament House's football team who were 'not very good'. Muscat presented Mr Albanese with a Shanghai Port FC jersey. NewsWire / Joseph Olbrycht-Palmer Credit: News Corp Australia
During his time as a professional soccer player, Muscat earnt a reputation as a hardman, with English striker Peter Crouch saying the Australian was the only footballer who genuinely scared him on the pitch.
Muscat received 123 yellow cards and 12 red cards in his professional career and in 2013 was voted football's dirtiest ever player by Spanish website El Gol Digital.
He represented Australia at a national level 46 times and played eight seasons across four teams in the UK.
He returned from the UK and played 113 games for Melbourne Victory before his retirement in 2011. Muscat welcomed Mr Albanese to Shanghai. NewsWire / Joseph Olbrycht-Palmer Credit: News Corp Australia
Muscat went on to become a successful coach, winning titles with Melbourne Victory and the Japanese team Yokohama F. Marinos, along with Shanghai Port FC.
His success has won him fans in Shanghai; in an interview with The Australian he revealed a portrait sent by a fan that included the message, 'Kevin, with you here, we never fear any team.' Soccer diplomacy could help warm the relationship between the two countries. NewsWire / Joseph Olbrycht-Palmer Credit: News Corp Australia
Mr Albanese has used soccer diplomacy to warm the relationship with China as he faces a grilling following a US defence adviser's push for Australia to detail its response if China were to invade Taiwan.
Known China hawk and US President Donald Trump's key defence adviser Elbridge Colby has called for countries the US deem to be lagging on defence spending to rapidly increase funding.
Coalition MPs questioned Mr Albanese's approach on Monday and said it was indicative of there not being a strong relationship between Mr Albanese and Mr Trump.
Mr Albanese also continues to face pressure to try to lock in a face-to-face meeting with Mr Trump.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
10 hours ago
- 7NEWS
AFL fans marched out of MCG after fists thrown in violent scene during Carlton Respects game
Both police and MCG security had to step in to break up a violent fight between two Carlton fans during the Blues' clash with Melbourne on Saturday night. Two men were filmed wrestling and throwing punches at each other during the game as nearby fans cleared away from the chaos. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Ugly scene erupts during 'Carlton respects' game. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Others close to the scene tried to break it up, with one man even copping some strays himself when he tried to diffuse the situation. The video cuts off as one of the combatants is marched out of the ground while the other is being dealt with by security back down where the incident occurred. The irony of the ugly scene was that it played out during Carlton's annual 'Carlton Respects' game, which aims to shine a light on domestic violence. 'Carlton Respects is a long-standing initiative which aims to use the power of the AFL to build awareness, funds and action to achieve Respect for a brighter future,' the club's website says. 'Australians agree violence against women needs to end, and there's a role for us all to play. 'This year marks our 10th annual AFL Carlton Respects Game, where the team will take to the field in orange socks and a special Carlton Respects guernsey. 'Show your support by getting to the game, wearing your merch and spreading the word, so collectively we can make a change for our next generation.' Carlton's men's and women's players were visited by guest speakers Boyd and Bianca Unwin during the week, whose daughter and sister Katie had her life taken due to domestic violence. 'Connecting what we do and why we do it, all as one club,' the club wrote on social media. 'Today, the Unwins shared the raw and powerful story to our AFL and AFLW players plus wider staff, at the home of the club which Katie herself supported.'
Perth Now
18 hours ago
- Perth Now
Leishman still flies flag proudly at Aussies' poor Open
Marc Leishman has kept the Australian flag flying at Royal Portrush, the nation's only British Open survivor doing his best to make a push on moving day with a battling three-under-par 68. The 41-year-old Victorian was surprised to be the only one of the nine Australians in the field to have survived to the weekend and he made the most of that responsibility on Saturday to record five birdies during a third round that, temporarily at least, pushed him into the top-20. It was a tremendous effort from the veteran who's had a fine year on the LIV Golf tour, winning his maiden event on the Saudi-run circuit at Trump National Doral in Miami in April. Leishman had been the only only Australian to get under par all week after his early-morning 68 made up for his tortuous opening-day 73, when he had been left hugely frustrated by the pace of play. Things were moving rather more quickly for him on Saturday afternoon as he knew that, starting at one under, he would have to enjoy a truly special round to drag himself into contention for the prize that he nearly won 10 years ago when finishing runner-up after a play-off at St Andrews. Leishman, who's enjoyed three top-10 finishes, made the worst possible start when three putts from 40ft at the first led to an immediate bogey, but he responded swiftly with a brilliant tee shot to within two foot of the pin at the short third hole and then sank a 12-footer for another birdie at the fifth. Some accomplished scrambling enabled him to get to the turn at one-under for the round, and a delightful approach to four foot at the 11th provided further encouragement. Finding the fairway bunker at the long 12th led to a bogey six, but again he bounced back, this time in spectacular fashion at the short 13th when he holed a 34ft birdie putt. His third birdie two of the round came at the 16th when he holed from the fringe of the green.
West Australian
a day ago
- West Australian
The Open: Marc Leishman only Aussie to make cut as tough conditions test world's best at Royal Portrush
Driving rain, brutal rough, relentless winds howling off the Atlantic — welcome to links golf in Northern Ireland. It's tough to hit fairways at Portrush. And getting into the rough can destroy a round in a heartbeat. It grades from long, chunky rough where you can still play a recovery shot — often just a low runner along the ground — to fescue which is unpredictable and leads to flyers or pulls. Big-name scorecards suffered, with Adam Scott's second-round 79, Tom Hoge's 81 on Thursday and Bryson DeChambeau's opening round 78 glaring examples of world-class players failing the stern test. At least DeChambeau fought back with a stunning 65 to jump 91 places and make the cut. Nine Australians started their chase for The Open Championship on Thursday but just one, Marc Leishman, will play all four rounds. Leishman was the only Aussie under par heading into the weekend after taking advantage of the stiller morning conditions on Friday to fire a second round 68. Scott was still in the hunt when he teed off on Friday morning in his 96th consecutive major after a first round 72. However, double bogeys at 3, 11 and 16 destroyed his charge. The 215-metre par-three 16th surrounded by dense rough lived up to its 'calamity corner' and 'card wrecker' monikers as the winds picked up and rain teemed down for the later starters. It was compulsive viewing and hundreds of locals grabbed prime spots early to watch the carnage unfold. Of the other Aussies, world No.30 Jason Day missed the cut by one shot while 23-year-old Elvis Smylie and Lucas Herbert will also be heading home early. And the three-man West Australian contingent — Min Woo Lee (five-over-par) and Open debutants Curtis Luck and Ryan Peake (both eight-over) — all missed the cut. For Lee it was his third missed cut in five Open appearances, continuing a moderate record with a best finish of tied 21st in 2022. 'It's a course where it can bite you in the butt pretty quickly. So yeah, I didn't obviously play too good,' Lee said after his second round. Luck had no luck with the draw, hitting off in the second last group in Thursday's opening round, not teeing off until after 4pm local time and carding an 80 to effectively end his chances. He fared much better on Friday with a 70. Peake played alongside multiple major champion Phil Mickelson, who attracted a strong gallery from the word go just after 7am on Thursday. After a nervy start, he was far from disgraced with a 77 and showed his grit with a second round 73, much of it played in driving rain. 'I'll reflect on the experience later down the track, but it was disappointing not playing the weekend,' Peake said The former star junior golfer turned Rebels bikie who was jailed for assault before rediscovering his love for the game said he enjoyed playing alongside fellow left-hander Mickelson, the 55-year-old qualifying for the weekend again after finishing at even-par. 'Playing with Phil obviously was great,' he said. 'I was trying to play my game as well, but he was friendly, he was chatting,.' Cameron Smith, the 2022 champion, was erratic off the tee and finished tied 138th alongside Luck and Peake on eight-over. Northern Irish home favourite Rory McIlroy was fortunate to avoid the teeming rain in Thursday's opening round and somehow able to keep his nerves in check to fire a one-under-par 70. He followed it with a 69 in the second round to ensure he'll play the weekend at Portrush this time after missing the cut here in 2019. Inside the ropes with the McIlroy group provided but an amazing glimpse of the adoration the Irish and Northern Irish fans have for the champion Ulsterman. And the enormous pressure from scores of fans. On Thursday, he had to delay his initial tee shot on the 1st because the cheering of the fans went on so long. It felt like they were finally congratulating him for the Masters win in person. But then total silence as thousands watched him pull his long iron left into the fescue and breathed a collective sigh of relief. That opening tee shot was as nerve-wracking as it gets for McIlroy after he hit it out-of-bounds in 2019 at Portrush on his way to a quadruple bogey and missed cut. And it was typical of McIlroy to miss a short putt on that same hole and make bogey. While he grimaced the fans' audible disappointment must have been hard to wear for McIlroy. Constant calls of 'c'mon Rory, c'mon Rory' were relentless from the 20-deep galleries around the greens, fairways and tees. Fans were even 10-deep in the hospitality areas 50m away and as loud as any football match as McIlroy left the green for the next tee box. When he sunk a remarkable birdie on the second hole the full-throttled Rory Roar was off the charts.
