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A toddler chucking a tantrum over having to share its toys – that’s the most fitting analogy to describe the AFL’s reported anger over the MCG’s scheduling for next year and the International Champions Cup.
The AFL will have to bow to another sport. Shock horror.
First there was the drama surrounding the 2015 Cricket World Cup, which the AFL delayed its season for. This shouldn’t be such a surprise, as the C in MCG stands for cricket.
Now in the middle of the AFL season, the Victorian Government is attempting to bring the International Champions Cup to Melbourne. The Cup was recently staged in front of more than 100,000 people in Detroit, USA, and features some of the round ball game’s best talent.
There is already talk of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United being involved. There is the suggestion that three games, possibly also featuring Liverpool or Chelsea, will be played across three weeks.
So does the AFL have reason to be pissed off? Not really. It’s a one off event and it only disadvantages the code for three weeks of an entire season.
The AFL will protest, saying that its clubs have a contractual right to play at the MCG. While they may be right, the MCG also has the ability to play other sports there under certain circumstances.
And why wouldn’t those in charge of the MCG do so? If 95,000 can turn up to Melbourne Victory and Liverpool match, then there’s huge potential for teams such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Most Twitter critics have already pointed out the real possible reason for the anger. That, the AFL feels threatened by football and doesn’t want its game being a sideshow to the international flavour that will take over Melbourne.
The league has a history of being extremely stubborn when it comes to protecting its stadiums. Former CEO Andrew Demetriou was on the front foot when news came of Australia’s World Cup bid for the 2018 tournament.
He immediately ruled that Docklands Stadium was off limits if FIFA insisted on playing the tournament in June/July.
The MCC isn’t out to screw one of its biggest clients, it’s simply doing what any business does and making the best decision. The AFL needs to take a chill pill and realise that their game is strong enough to cope with a few weeks away from ‘the G’.
Besides, if the MCG is officially approved for the tournament, the AFL will have plenty of notice to come up with a draw that minimises any potential financial hit. The AFL is played across Australia, so bye rounds and away matches can be played across these three weeks with minimal disruption.
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