Oman Boss Claude Le Roy Aims Cheeky Shot At Australia, Star Midfielder Fawzi Bashir Ruled Out With Injury

Oman boss Claude Le Roy has criticized Australia's relative lack of hospitality toward the Gulf nation when they traveled to Melbourne last month, ahead of a crucial 'return' Asian Cup Qualifier in Muscat.

The home side have meanwhile been dealt a huge blow on the eve of the match, with star midfielder Fawzi Bashir ruled out by injury.

A report in the Times of Oman is claiming that Bashir picked up the injury in a pre-match training session, with manager Claude Le Roy now without another talisman in midfield after losing Ahmed Mubarak through a groin injury.

Bashir terrorized Australia when the two sides met in Melbourne and his absence will certainly be a weight off the mind of Dutch manager Pim Verbeek as he prepares his troops for a match that could see them take a huge step towards Qatar 2011.

His opposite number Le Roy has meanwhile played down talk of bad blood between the two camps, after the controversy surrounding comments made by Socceroos team manager Gary Morreti at Etihad Stadium.

It was then that the wily French manager claimed he had never suffered such an insult during his 30-year coaching career, having implied that Moretti had accused Oman of cheating.

Football Federation Australia moved swiftly to offer an apology for Morreti’s comments – the details which have never been fully disclosed – with Le Roy now insisting the incident was in the past.

“It is a closed chapter... let’s get focused on winning and reach [the finals in Doha],” he said, quoted by www.timesofoman.com.

That didn’t stop the Frenchman from taking a cheeky shot at the visitors though, Le Roy suggesting the hospitality offered to Australia in Oman wasn’t reciprocated when the Gulf nation travelled to Melbourne last month.

He continued, “They have been training at the ground, where the match would be played, since they arrived, but in Australia we were asked to hop around from ground to ground.

“This is a great example of Omani hospitality.”

Chris Paraskevas, Goal.com

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