MATHEW LECKIE wants to set the record straight – he desperately wanted to represent Australia at the under-20 World Cup but was denied the opportunity because his club, Borussia Mönchengladbach, found a loophole to keep him in Germany.
The 20-year-old was selected by coach Jan Versleijen in his squad for the tournament in Colombia, where Australia face Spain in their final group match today (8am, Sydney time), but Leckie was withdrawn barely a week from the competition's first match.
An automatic selection as a support striker or attacking midfielder, Leckie would have been a huge help to the Young Socceroos, who snatched a 1-1 draw against Ecuador in their opening match before losing 3-2 to Costa Rica, severely denting their chances of qualifying for the next round.
The former Adelaide United star was all set to join his international teammates before Mönchengladbach coach Lucien Favre intervened at the last minute to keep his new signing.
"When I first came over the club told me that the World Cup would be a good thing for me, that it would help my development because I wasn't quite ready," Leckie said. "However, as the pre-season went on I started to do quite well, the coach spoke to me and said I had improved so much that he was no longer happy for me to go – he said he felt I could be very valuable for the first team. That's probably where the problem started.
"And so the club and the FFA were going back and forth, sending letters, and originally the club thought it was a FIFA date and that I had to go, even if they'd rather I stayed. But then they spoke to Bundesliga head office and found out that it wasn't an international date, so they went straight to the FFA and said I was out."
The news angered the FFA, which had already submitted its squad for the tournament, of which Leckie was considered one of the stand-out players.
"We believe that this change in attitude by Borussia Mönchengladbach is not in the spirit of fair play and we will voice our dissatisfaction with FIFA accordingly," technical director Han Berger said at the time.
Leckie said he has watched both Australian matches and was deflated at missing out, though he understood the club's predicament and respected its wishes.
"It would have been a great experience to have been there, to play against players at your age and to test yourself against the world, that would have been fantastic," he said. "It's a little bit disappointing – of course it is – but with how things have happened here, it was just the worst timing. Things are going well and in a way I'm kind of glad I haven't disrupted my momentum. If the World Cup was at any other time, I'd have been there in a heartbeat."
The consolation for Leckie is a good one. Tonight (Sydney time) he could make his league debut for Mönchengladbach against the biggest club in Germany, Bayern Munich, at the Allianz Arena.
"It's absolutely surreal how quickly things have happened since I arrived and how fast things have been progressing," Leckie said. "I've been told I'm in the squad for the match against Bayern and whilst I don't know what role I'll play, hopefully I'll come off the bench and have a impact. I'd never ever have thought it would all happen so quickly."
Just three years ago, Leckie was an unknown, playing his football with the Bulleen Zebras in the Victorian Premier League. His talent was spotted by Adelaide United coach Aurelio Vidmar, who offered him a two-year deal, and while it was expected Leckie would take time to settle, he made an immediate impact, and some even called for him to be included in the 2010 World Cup squad.
Equally, Leckie was expected to go through the reserve ranks at Borussia Park but he's already on the fringes of gaining a starting place in one of the world's top leagues.
"I think I've done well in the pre-season and in the training camp, all the feedback I've been getting from the coaches has been really positive," he said. "We've already had a German Cup match against Regensburg where I made the squad and came on as a substitute [in the 78th minute] and that was a good sign. Before that, I scored twice against Aberdeen in the pre-season, so it's all begun nicely."
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