Socceroos players seek Jordan friendly switch over safety concerns

Australia's players have asked for their friendly against Jordan to be moved or rescheduled because of security concerns, according to a Professional Footballers Australia statement reported by Football360 on Friday. The request puts the planned visit to Amman in question, although Jordan's federation says the fixture remains on its schedule.

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PFA chief executive Beau Busch said the union had consulted Football Australia over several weeks and brought in independent security specialists. He said the players overwhelmingly supported changing the Jordan match and that the union backed them. The PFA also said it would continue working with the governing body to find a solution.

Football360 reported that Jordan's football association had cancelled its separate friendly against Indonesia but had not changed the Australia game. Football Australia, meanwhile, had said on Tuesday that both November internationals would proceed, with its security staff monitoring conditions and assessing risks. Those positions had not amounted to an announced relocation or postponement of the Socceroos match.

The itinerary announced by Football Australia has the team playing Qatar in Doha on November 13 local time, followed by Jordan in Amman on November 17. For Australian viewers, those dates fall on November 14 and November 18 respectively in AEDT. The two fixtures were arranged for the November men's international window, with Qatar the first stop before the journey to Jordan.

When announcing the games in September, Football Australia described opponents with recent Asian Cup pedigree: Qatar had won the previous two editions, while Jordan finished runner-up in 2023. The federation said Australia had not played Qatar since October 2014. Its record against Jordan stood at five wins and three defeats, with the latest meeting producing a 2-1 Australian victory in Doha in June 2022.

Coach Tony Popovic originally presented the trip as important preparation in a short interval between the World Cup and the next Asian Cup, according to Football Australia's announcement. That planning context has since changed: Football360 reported that the Asian Cup has been postponed. The immediate issue is now the players' request to alter the Jordan fixture, rather than a confirmed change to the itinerary.