Australia captain Lucas Neill denied accusations his team has been whining, despite complaints over two red cards, pressure from the media and the state of its training pitch at the World Cup.
Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell were sent off as Australia lost and drew its opening Group D matches, angering many of the players. Cahill was reported to have said, "as a nation, we've never been given a fair go."
"Firstly, I can say Tim never said that," Neill said Tuesday on the eve of Australia's final group game against Serbia. "Every single player took it on the chin because there is nothing that can be done about it. Australia has never been a team of whingers and want to ever be regarded as whingers.
"Did we whinge when we went down to 10 men? No, we stood up, took it on the chin and probably should have won the game. A team of whingers would have lost three or four to one and then complained to the referee."
The charge of whining, or whinging, is commonly made by Australians, New Zealanders and Britons against each other when they make sustained complaints.
The reaction of the players and Australian fans who rained beer bottles down on the Rustenburg pitch after Kewell's dismissal against Ghana on Saturday, led Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy to call for an end to any complaining.
"Of course I was very disappointed we were left to 10 men again, but this is the referee's task and we never complain about that," Lowy told The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper. "We've got to accept those decisions, whinging is not a trait we should follow. I don't believe we are whingers, but it's important we just get on with it. In the end, those are the cards you are dealt with."
Lowy, who is in the middle of campaign to bring the 2022 World Cup to Australia, is mindful that the behavior of its players and fans may have wider implications.
Cahill was dismissed for a late challenge from behind on Germany's Bastian Schweinsteiger, who approached him after the match and told the Australian he did not think he deserved to be sent off. Against Ghana, Kewell stopped a goal-bound shot with his arm, leaving Australia with 10 men for 65 minutes. A 1-1 draw kept the team alive going into the match against Serbia on Wednesday.
Several players complained about Kewell's dismissal, and Sydney Morning Herald columnist John Huxley wrote: "Australia whinging is not a good sound, worse even than buzzing vuvuzelas. Whinging, especially accompanied by tears not of contrition or regret but self-pity, is not a good look for players representing a nation spending $A50 million to secure the 2022 World Cup."
The media angered the team earlier in the tournament with talk of rifts and criticism of coach Pim Verbeek after the opening match, and the hurt has not entirely healed.
Both Kewell and Cahill have appealed directly to the Australian media to support the team in South Africa, while defender Scott Chipperfield suggested media barbs might force him to quit the team.
"I don't see much point going on when you have one bad game and everyone hammers you," Chipperfield said. "It upsets you. I had a great year for Basel, won the player of the year and you have one bad game and everyone writes: 'He's finished, retire, he's too slow."'
