As the Socceroos play in Brazil we look at the two great passions of late Johnny Warren
- From: FOX SPORTS
- June 11, 2014
THIS would have been the ultimate “I told you so” moment for Johnny Warren.
Warren’s two great loves — the Socceroos and Brazil — come together at the World Cup on Saturday when Australia start their campaign against Chile.
“A World Cup in Brazil, Australia playing in it, would have been wonderful for him and the country,” says Johnny’s nephew Jamie Warren.
“It would have been great to have him there giving first-hand accounts of what’s happening. He would have been a tremendous inspiration to the Socceroos, provided them with invaluable information about playing there.
“ It would have been incredible for John to be there this time around …”
Warren, an iconic figure of the pioneering 1974 Australia World Cup team passed away in late 2004; almost 10 years ago, and before Uruguay, before the brave performance of the 2006 Cup in Germany and before the return to the world stage in 2010.
Shortly before his death from cancer, the man who wrote of his frustrations to have the game recognised in Australia immortalised in his book Sheilas, Wogs and Poofters, was asked what he hoped his legacy would be. “I told you so,” he replied.
Warren was a football missionary. A national team player in the time of the greatest of them all, Pele, Warren had his attention turned to South American football by the amazing Brazilian, and Argentinian teammates at his club St George.
After retiring he turned attentions to coaching, and would take leading Australian junior players to the United States to train under Pele at his academies in New Jersey.
Soon after, in 1984, Warren made his first of an estimated 30 journeys to Brazil. He took along nephew Jamie, who has shared their photo album from that first trip with us.
“When you saw them together they looked close but Pele’s close to everyone!,” says Jamie of Johnny’s relationship with Pele. “ John had a ... not a man crush, but something similar. He was in awe of Pele’s talent and his personality as well, how he was so receptive to people and always talked about the game. John was like minded.”
Johnny was driven to move the game on in Australia.
“When he stopped playing he thought we have all these very keen juniors but how do we get them to the level that they can have success at the very highest level?” says Jamie.
“He thought we need players at the biggest clubs in the world, a first class youth development system, a first rate national system. he had all these questions going through his head.
“We’ve got these great characteristics of fighting spirit and we’re praised for our fitness and commitment, but how do we get our technique up to the best in the world.”
The light bulb moment for Johnny was watching futsal being played for the first time. It explained the Brazilians’ skill in tight situations, and their need to develop tricks to make space for themselves.
Johnny and Jamie were invited to spend six weeks training at Rio club Flamengo by legendary Mario Zagalla — the first person to win a World Cup as player and manager — to study their methods. It was enough for him to fall in love with the country and its culture.
“Copcabana Beach you could while away years soaking up that atmosphere,” says Jamie. “The city is so vibrant and the people are so warm and you mix that in with the football, and an element of anonymity which would have been relaxing for him.”
What might have been for Johnny had cancer not taken him away?
“He would have moved to Brazil a couple of years ago to live, once he knew it was on, I imagine,” says Jamie.
“It would have really topped his career off, to have been there with his passion for Brazilian football and the country and his passion for Australia — it would have been an amazing thing for him to have been there.”
Jamie Warren is chairman of the Johnny Warren Football Foundation.