|
The 1956 Olympic Games association football tournament had just eleven competing nations, due to cancellations. It was an undistinguished tournament that featured mis-matches and walkovers. ==Background== Following five withdrawals, the tournament featured three Eastern bloc teams and four from Asia in a tournament that matched professionals against the amateurs required in Olympics. The other sides included in the draw were from the United States, Germany (West and East united), Great Britain and the hosts Australia, featuring in their very first Olympic football tournament. The ability to develop an "amateur" side around two or three long-term internationals could only be achieved by use of the tendency of Eastern bloc sides to provide state-funding for their athletes. This compared most favourably with the Australians who did not pay their footballers during the tournament; player income was supported by community fund-raising.〔http://www.ozfootball.net/museum/ronlord.html〕 Of the Australian squad, in Melbourne's ''The Age'' newspaper, Alex Barr wrote: :''"The original () squad was not the best and four weeks of intensive training did nothing to improve the standard. Australian soccer has lost a wonderful chance to gain world prominence and the game has suffered a body blow."'' Despite Barr's opinion though, some of the more acclaimed players selected in the 1956 Australian squad included the following Football Hall of Fame inductees: Hall of Champions → Bob Bignall and Ron Lord Medal of Excellence → Frank Loughran Award of Distinction → William Henderson, Graham McMillan, Bruce Morrow and Cliff Sander 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Association football at the 1956 Summer Olympics」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|