May 7, 2006, 2:08 GMT
Sydney - Australian football fans are upset that the British makers of the popular Monopoly board game have relegated their team to the Old Kent Road position in the just-released World Cup edition that gives Brazil top-billing in Mayfair, news reports said Sunday.
Brown-hued Old Kent Road is the lowliest property on the board, standing next to the purple of Mayfair occupied by World Cup favourites Brazil.
The Sun-Herald quoted Monopoly maker Hasbro as saying that Australia was lucky to be included at all, given that it's the nation's first World Cup appearance since 1974.
Soccer New South Wales spokesman Robert Grasso said that relegating Australia to the lowest-rent property on the board was a gratuitous insult from traditional rivals England.
'Maybe we shouldn't get Mayfair just yet, but Pall Mall would have been good,' Grasso said. 'At least we are not sitting in jail.'
Australia takes on Japan, Brazil and Croatia next month in Germany. The last time the team was in the World Cup finals, they were winless in the group stage against Chile, East Germany and West Germany.
Australia surprised itself by getting to the finals after sinking more fancied Uruguay in a penalty shoot-out in its second-leg qualifier in Sydney. The teams had a goal each after 120 minutes of football before the ball was put on the spot.
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