Footballer calls out his own fans over ‘unfair’ criticism: ‘It just doesn’t sit right’

Harry Souttar has taken a swipe at Socceroos fans for what he deemed as unfair criticism and abuse of players during their failed Asian Cup campaign. 

The Socceroos crashed out of the tournament last Friday after suffering defeat by South Korea in extra time of their quarter final clash in Qatar.

It brought to the end a frustrating journey for Graham Arnold’s side, with the Australians failing to hit the same form that saw them earn an unlikely place in the last-16 of the 2022 World Cup.

The spotlight was subsequently on the players and coach for their underwhelming performances, but defender Souttar believes the criticism was unwarranted.  

‘Maybe I’ll regret saying this a little bit later on, but as a whole we can just get behind the team better,’ Souttar said via ABC Sport.

The Australian men’s team failed to reach top form during a frustrating campaign

‘We were heavily criticised in the group stages and rightly so because sometimes you can play better.

‘But there’s a lot of negativity around it that’s uncalled for. Reading something from people still back home, it just doesn’t sit right.’

Souttar insisted that the criticism ignited a siege mentality in the dressing room. 

‘We’re a close group and when someone gets targeted … it puts your back up a little,’ Souttar said.

‘We are trying to do something good. It doesn’t come off all the time but we can get behind the boys a lot better in certain situations.

‘That’s just my opinion. I know a lot of what’s written and what’s said by the fans is really good [but] sometimes you’ve got to know where you’re at.

‘We’re at a major tournament, we’ve topped the group, [and had] a good result in the round of 16.’

Souttar said criticism of the players was unfair but ignited a siege mentality

The players’ union echoed Souttar’s sentiments and called for better protection of its members.

‘Despite proactive steps being taken in the A-Leagues, effective responses remain rare, leaving athletes exposed to abhorrent abuse,’ PFA chief executive Beau Busch said in a statement.

‘Our national team players make immeasurable personal and professional sacrifices to represent Australia and deserve much better than toxic social media abuse and should be able to count on better protection from those who administer competitions.’