Pippinu's Contributions

This represents my final post on the Roar. I now feel vindicated in describing the FFA bid as one based on deceit. AFL's concerns over Cup bid run deep By Gerard Whateley Posted December 14, 2009 11:21:00 Updated December 14, 2009 11:59:00 Andrew Demetriou and Ben Buckley are at loggerheads over the Cup bid. (ABC/AAP) Map: Melbourne 3000 Related Story: Codes at war over World Cup bid The AFL harbours concerns of a second interrupted season and being booted out of its Melbourne headquarters by world governing body FIFA should Australia be successful in its World Cup bid. The depth of the AFL's fears is laid out in correspondence from chief executive Andrew Demetriou to his opposite number at Football Federation Australia, Ben Buckley. The letter, seen by the ABC, is dated November 24 and is the source of the rift between the organisations. It was written two weeks before the issues erupted in public. When it hit the front pages, the AFL's angst was well known to Buckley. Writes Demetriou: "The AFL Commission wishes to place on record its extreme disappointment with the lack of accurate and consistent information from the FFA on the implications of the World Cup on the AFL competition and the AFL clubs. "This lack of clear information and what appears to be indifference frankly, reluctance to help the AFL to ascertain the impact on our competition, is frustrating. "In addition to questions regarding the MCG and Docklands that fuelled the public bickering last week, the AFL urgently sought clarification as to whether the Confederations Cup, held in the year preceding a World Cup, would force interruptions to the AFL season. "We also understand that the Confederations Cup is played as a warm-up to the World Cup in the year prior to the World Cup. "Therefore, the FFA cannot guarantee that the impact on the AFL competition, clubs and their supporters, will not be over two years instead of one as originally advised by the FFA." At the conclusion of the three-page letter, the AFL posed nine questions to the FFA: 1. Is it a requirement of the World Cup that no AFL matches can be played in cities hosting World Cup matches for the duration of the World Cup in those cities? 2. Is the AFL competition going to be asked to shut down for 10 weeks to accommodate the World Cup? Given the location of our clubs in the five mainland capital cities, Geelong and from 2011 the Gold Coast, can you please advise what FIFA/FFA is demanding to stage the World Cup and what the precise impact will be on AFL venues in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Geelong, Canberra and the Gold Coast? 3. Has the FFA proposed, or planning to propose that the MCG be redeveloped at a cost of $130 million for the World Cup and be unavailable for AFL matches for 16 weeks in the year of the World Cup? 4. Is FIFA/FFA planning to take over the AFL offices for the duration of the World Cup and if so, for how many weeks? 5. Is FIFA/FFA planning to take over the offices and training facilities of AFL clubs so that they can be used by countries participating in the World Cup? 6. We have read media reports indicating that the FFA estimates that the economic impact of the World Cup in Australia would be some $5.4 billion. In your financial modelling of the World Cup in Australia, have you factored in the impact in the $3.4 billion Australian football contributes to the Australian economy each year if the AFL competition is forced to shut down for 10 weeks and is banned from using the MCG for 16 weeks? 7. Specifically, has the FFA/FIFA budgeted or are you planning to budget to compensate the AFL and its clubs for any loss of revenue for accommodating the World Cup? 8. Is it the intention of FIFA and or the FFA to ask the Federal Government to legislate so that FIFA/FFA can take over venues for the World Cup, the AFL offices and the training and administration bases of AFL clubs so that they can be used by teams competing in the World Cup and to prevent other major sporting competitions playing matches during the period of the World Cup? 9. Will the Confederations Cup be played in Australia the year before the World Cup if Australia's bid is successful and if so, what will the impact on the AFL competition including what current AFL venues would FIFA/FFA take over for the duration of the Confederations Cup? Confirming the authenticity of the letter, an AFL spokesman told the ABC: "We did receive a letter from the FFA responding to Andrew's letter. It didn't contain either the detailed information on the impact that a World Cup would have on our season, or the clarification that we were seeking over the use of Etihad Stadium that we were initially told in November 2008 that would remain with the AFL. "We are still waiting to be informed on how we can run a season concurrently with a World Cup." From ABCgrandstand .

Australia will host the 2022 Football World Cup

14 Dec 2009

Thanks Norm

Examining Group B in the 2010 World Cup

9 Dec 2009

tifosi the AFL would not fixture games in direct competition to games at the MCG - won't happen. But at the moment - the AFL are in a fight just to have a stadium.

Demetriou was right to question World Cup impact

9 Dec 2009