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It might herald a new era for football in Australia, but Manchester City’s 80 per cent purchase of Melbourne Heart also presents one of the biggest risks for the FFA since the inception of the A-League.
Those at FFA headquarters have greeted the announcement like Tom Hanks discovering the floor piano in the movie ‘Big’ and have forgotten years of misadventure with tycoons sporting big pockets.
Who could forget the days of Clive Palmer closing three-quarters of the Skilled Park to fans and playing a youth team in the A-League before the club’s licence was eventually revoked?
Palmer ‘kicked harder’ with the formation of rebel group Football Australia, with fans eagerly anticipating the results of the promised “national commission of inquiry”, which is yet to hold the promised public meetings.
Then there was the Nathan Tinkler-led Hunter Sports Group, which attempted to hand back its licence to the A-League less than two years ago.
That’s not to mention the imposing figure of Frank Lowy and the inherent conflicts of interest which come from his role as FFA Chairman, part-ownership of Sydney FC and various sponsorship commitments through Westfield.
Despite the recent challenges, there has been little assurance the FFA and broader football community have learnt from the past.
There have been few questions or answers on the City Football Group’s vision for Melbourne Heart’s identity.
Will they retain the name, colours and culture of the club?
For all of the criticism of Heart’s lack of culture or identity, much work has been done to establish relationships with organisations including Street Soccer, Save the Children and Life Saving Victoria among others.
This is in addition to the tens of thousands of kids to have taken part in coaching clinics over the last five years and the formation of the league’s only fans’ representative group.
And while those concerns could be swept away with the brush of crumbs from Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed’s table and promise of success, the real risks are for the FFA and remaining clubs.
If the promised investments are forthcoming, Melbourne Heart/City will likely be the league’s most powerful entity.
How would the FFA respond to a push to increase the salary cap, the quota of international players or number of marquee signings if the club promises to bring star power?
The promised investment in youth football could also channel the pool of talented youth to one club, with the lure of Premier League football.
The league has seen too many clubs fold, changes in ownership and instability to stop asking pertinent questions of new owners.
One thing is for certain, the new Melbourne Heart owners are not die-hard fans of the club – reports emerged last week of efforts to buy Sydney FC.
They are likely motivated by potential profit or glory on their terms in another continent.
To assume they will act in the interest of the federation, the league, fans and the other nine clubs is wishful thinking at best.
But these problems pale in comparison to the impending sale of Western Sydney Wanderers, with the FFA compromised with their position as sellers, operators of the A-League and governors of the game in Australia.
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