When is the next international for the Socceroos?

Was the Australian government being ableist and discriminatory in Australian Sports Commission's implementation of policy which saw the gutting of the 7-a-side Paralympic football team given the Socceroos and Matildas are ranked worse?

• Additional information available at http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2014/s4040641.htm and http://www.parasport-news.com/australian-national-paralympic-soccer-team-loses-government-funding/348/ . The policy supports funding only sports with medal chances, and ranked 61st in the world, the Socceroos are not medal contenders.  yet, while the Pararoos saw their funding eliminated and ranked 10th, the elite men's and women's able-bodied teams saw their funding increased more than the Pararoos saw their funding eliminated.

• Answer:

  This is quite a sensitive topic. However, still I would like to express my views. So, here it goes. The govt. was wrong to slash the funding of the Paralympic Football team but to deduce from this that the govt. is ableist would be a bit unfair. You have to understand that the current rank of the Socceroos is a territory that they have found themselves in rather recently. It far below their potential. They are considered an average team and were ranked under 50 as recently as 2010. Although they might not be considered as title contenders for the World Cup but you don't expect teams other than the top 6 to win the World Cup. To qualify for the World Cup is also quite a big deal. However, Australia does pose as a genuine title contender for AFC Asian Cup. Also, as mentioned here : http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2014/s4040641.htm.... The able-bodied soccer team will also see its funding reduced by 15% as of next year. Thus, while I strongly believe that slashing the funding of the Paralympic team was harsh and should have been avoided, I believe that the govt. did not do it because it was being ableist or supported ableism in any way.