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The long-anticipated delegation from FIFA and AFC arrives in town this week, as they look the mediate a resolution between the FFA and the club owners regarding the make-up of the FFA Congress – and, ultimately, the future of the game in Australia.
At the heart of the matter is power. The FFA have it and the clubs want it.
FFA hold the power of incumbency, meaning it’s therefore up to the clubs to present the alternate vision for the game, but we’re yet to see any detail.
If they want the keys to the kingdom – well, the A-League kingdom, anyway – then they must lay out what they plan to do with it.
They want an independent A-League, something most football fans support in principle, but that’s the key – in principle, because we don’t know what they will do with that independence.
They say they can significantly grow the revenue and the capital that can be invested into the clubs, but where is the modeling? It’s easy to make claims and speak in motherhood statements, but the devil is always in the detail. That’s where FFA has fallen down since the release of its Whole of Football Plan a few years ago.
The ambition was to be applauded, but it wasn’t followed up with any commitment (well, there was a four-year strategic vision that seems to be going swimmingly…) and three years on we’re probably further away from achieving that vision than when the process started.
And why? Because the FFA failed to unite everyone behind their vision. It came across as FFA dictating what the vision was, rather than it being a reflection of the game’s vision for itself.
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If the clubs want to unite the football community behind them, they have to answer some specific questions.
Who will run the league? Who will be on the commission? How will that commission be selected? How will extra money be generated? How will that money be split among the clubs? What are their plans for expansion, second division, promotion and relegation?
The questions are endless, but we’re yet to see any details. The clubs, apparently, say they have it but won’t release it. That’s simply not good enough.
If you want the fans and football community to support you, we need to know what your vision is – otherwise perhaps it is better the devil you know.
Of course, we have seen some A-League club owners voice their theories on how to grow and develop the game and, well, let’s just say it leaves a lot to be desired.
I speak of course of Tony Sage and Mike Charlesworth’s idea to expand the A-League into Southeast Asia, with teams potentially in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
I’ve written before about the lunacy of such an idea, but in an independent A-League, would there be anyone to stop them implementing their plan? Does FFA retain a seat on any commission, or a veto power for any decision that is so clearly against the best interest of football in this country?
Which leads to one of FFA’s main arguments, that the club owners care more about their hip pocket than they do about the development of the game. When you read ideas such as expansion into Southeast Asia, it’s hard to argue with them.
It’s unlikely we’ll get any resolution to the ongoing saga this week, with FIFA and AFC in town to listen rather than act. But with the issue front and centre on the agenda again this week, it’s time for the clubs to back up their talk and lay their cards on the table.
It’s the least the fans – many of whom support their clubs – deserve.