Brisbane Roar CEO Kaz Patafta has emphatically denied his club tried to block rising star and Bayern Munich signing Nestory Irankunda from playing in the A-League leading into the finals.
The 18-year-old Adelaide United star is destined for a big future, but was sensationally overlooked for the Olyroos squad playing in the upcoming AFC Under-23 Cup, where Tony Vidmar’s squad are looking to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Despite multiple reports linking Irankunda to an eleventh hour callup to the Olyroos to replace injured Melbourne City attacker Marco Tilio, he was ultimately left out of the final squad.
That led to Adelaide coach Carl Veart launching a stunning attack on A-League rivals – including Brisbane – accusing them of trying to block Irankunda from returning to the A-League to close out the season.
If Irankunda – comfortably regarded as Australian football’s best young talent – had been selected for the Olyroos, he would have been ineligible to play for the remainder of the A-League season.
Veart defended Irankunda following Friday’s night’s press conference after the youngster had scored another of his trademark goals against Macarthur FC and slammed rival clubs for trying to block him from playing in the domestic competition.
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