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And so the A-League comes back down to earth, with more of a shudder than a thud. The Central Coast Mariners are in financial turmoil, and suddenly nothing seems quite as rosy anymore.
To say this has come out of the blue is to tell a lie. It has been the issue the competition has repeatedly swept under the carpet for close to four years, hoping it would go away and resolve itself.
The great Ray Gatt from The Australian has been all over the story, which suggests the Gosford club could close its doors if a proposed ownership restructure falls through.
For the second time this season, players and staff have not been paid their monthtly salaries. The PFA is getting involved.
All manner of would-be white knights have been name-checked and talked about but they each sound more mythical than the last.
The death of Gold Coast United seems a lifetime ago but now this plight is a stark reminder the A-League simply cannot lose another club.
And certainly not Central Coast. The Mariners have come to symbolise the sport’s new wave in many ways. It is the little club that could; the brave outpost in a non-traditional football area.
But not even a club which many say is the template of how football should be run outside of the capital cities can seem to get on without the annoying pull of financial reality.
It is intriguing to note the Mariners have lost the back-of-shirt sponsorship with Primo Smallgoods, which was worth $750,000 over three years.
The company’s owner is Paul Lederer, who, as it happens, sits on the board of the Western Sydney Wanderers. He is a close friend of Frank Lowy.
No prizes for guessing where that Primo logo might be next season.
Therein lies a snapshot of the wider problem. Gatt’s report says the Mariners asked for financial assistance but were knocked back by the FFA, who are said to be unlikely to rescue the club should it become insolvent.
The reason is because of the federation’s investment in the Western Sydney Wanderers, the newcomers who have been mollycoddled into a beast the game should be wholeheartedly proud of.
It was known the decision to create the club after Gold Coast’s demise was a risk – but that was because the venture was rushed into.
What wasn’t immediately talked about was that the cash-strapped FFA had put all of its cards on the table.
It could afford to go to Western Sydney, just – thanks to the Federal Government. But we are told that is where the money runs out.
If Central Coast cannot sort itself out and falls over then you could say the Western Sydney gamble has not been worth it.
How could it be if the Wanderers are at the expense of arguably the A-League’s most successful club?
A change of ownership is meant to be on its way, but it’s gotten to the point where people laugh when the words “Russians” and “Central Coast” are used in the same sentence.
It doesn’t look like they are coming, and FFA has to prepare for the eventuality that there might not be anyone who will right now.
The licence could be whisked away to a Geelong consortium to maintain the 10-team equilibrium needed for the new TV deal, reports suggest, but at the moment that has pipe dream written all over it.
What message would it send if the A-League’s supposed on-field benchmark is no longer viable?
Even if this season has been one long Wanderers and Del Piero daze, everything will start to feel grim once again if the Mariners go under water. FFA has to be on guard.
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