SYDNEY, Oct 24: Soccer Australia’s acting chief executive officer Ian Holmes has vowed to defy a recommendation from FIFA that Australia and France pick only one player from each club for their friendly in Melbourne on November 11.

“Australian soccer fans have waited three years to see an Australian A team play on home soil,” Holmes told Australian Associated Press on Wednesday.

“We are not going to allow FIFA, Arsenal or Europe’s big clubs, who think they control the game, to deny them that opportunity,” Holmes said.

“This is an act of malevolence by arrogant, self-indulgent clubs, in particular Arsenal,” Holmes said.

Soccer Australia chairman Ian Knop confirmed they would not bow to pressure from FIFA to only choose one player from each club.

“Soccer Australia’s position is that we will not compromise on the selection of our national team at such a critical stage of our World Cup campaign,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday.

“This is not negotiable and on that point we will be unmoved, unbending and unyielding,” said Knop.

“FIFA has no legal basis upon which to request this from us or the French Foot-ball Federation,” he added.—Reuters