Sarah Walsh has heard the naysayers, heard the voices sniggering about half-empty stadiums and unsold tickets. The chief operating officer of the Women’s Asian Cup knows the insinuation behind them all: that the Matildas – clearly Australia’s favourite sporting team during the run to the World Cup semi-finals three years ago – have lost their lustre.
But the woman who played 70 times for Australia also has a voice, and she wasn’t shy in using it on Thursday to address “segments” of the country who want to see the Matildas fail.
