Harry Kewell became emotional as he reflected on the controversial decision which saw him sent off in his final World Cup game.
The Australian legend was shown a red card in a 1-1 draw with Ghana in 2010.
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And 16 years on, Kewell still feels he was treated harshly by referee Roberto Rosetti, claiming his handball which prevented a Ghana goal was only worthy of a penalty – not a red card.
When asked by SBS host Niav Owens how he now looks at the incident, Kewell appeared disgruntled from the start.
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“What do you mean, how do I see it now? Nothing’s changed,” he said.
“I understand the penalty. I understand it. We were talking about it before how the ball moved a lot especially in certain conditions. And it was heartbreaking because how the ball moved, I get it. It could have been a penalty. But the red card as well.”
Colleague Kevin-Prince Boateng, who also played in that game, interjected saying: “Could have been a penalty? No, it was a penalty.
“I agree with Harry, it’s not a red card. I wouldn’t have given a red card because you kill the game.”
Kewell went on to say: “I’m actually a little bit disappointed because we had the opportunity twice to clear the ball.
“And I remember being on the line and looking at it. We had a moment to clear it and we didn’t clear it. Then we had another moment to clear it and then again I’m going backwards and forwards. I thought I’d do the right thing by protecting the post for (Mark) Schwarzer and look where it got me.
“That broke my heart. I understand football, and it’s an emotional game. I’ve never really broken down or been upset and I was angry walking off the pitch.
“You kind of have to go into this little room by yourself. And I remember going in there and then it kind of hits you, if we don’t get a couple more results, we’re out of the World Cup.
“And that means it could possibly be my last one. And that’s where the emotion took over because I was upset.
“When I look back on it, I felt it was a harsh decision. We were controlling the game. But again, that’s football. We move on. But we can still whinge about it.”
While the red card decision can be disputed, it proved costly for Kewell as Australia bowed out at the group stage, so he never played another World Cup match.
He had been an inspirational figure in the Socceroos’ rise to the world stage, playing a key role in the qualification campaign that saw Australia reach the World Cup for the first time in 2006, where he helped his side reach the Round of 16 by scoring in a 2-2 draw with Croatia.