Australia star World Cup preparations

Australia have called up a striker for their World Cup squad who could face a jail sentence for his part in an armed robbery.

29 year old Con Boutsianis admitted to a Melbourne court last week that he drove a getaway car in a 1998 armed robbery at a restaurant.

He has pleaded guilty to a theft charge relating to the robbery but could be sentenced to a jail term on Monday.

Australia coach Frank Farina has called up the South Melbourne striker for the start of 2002 World Cup qualification matches in the Oceania zone.

Australia host Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and American Samoa in group one at Coffs Harbour from April 7th to 16th and are expected to qualify with some ease. The winners of the group go on to play the winners of group two in a two leg play-off in June with New Zealand the favourites to win the second section.

The winners of that match go through to face the fifth placed South American team home from CONMEBOL home and away for a place at the finals in Japan and South Korea next year.

Farina and his bosses at the AFA have agreed to leave out European based stars such as Mark Viduka, Paul Okon and Harry Kewell who are still involved in club competitions at the end of the European season.

The squad in alphabetical order - John Aloisi (Coventry City), Clint Bolton (Sydney Olympic), Con Boutsianis (South Melbourne), Scott Chipperfield (Wollongong), Simon Colosimo (South Melbourne), Steve Corica (Sanfreece Hiroshima), Fausto De Amicis (South Melbourne), Hayden Foxe (West Ham), Steve Horvat (Melbourne Knights), Scott Miller (Perth), Craig Moore (Rangers), Damian Mori (Perth), Kevin Muscat (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Michael Petkovic (South Melbourne), Tony Popovic (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Archie Thompson (Marconi), Tony Vidmar (Rangers), Aurelio Vidmar (Adelaide), Lindsay Wilson (Sydney Olympic) and David Zdrilic (Unterhaching).