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Big-talking billionaire owner Clive Palmer has stayed true to form in borrowing the words of Winston Churchill and Elton John to back down on boycotting Gold Coast United’s A-League debut.
Palmer on Wednesday completed a 180-degree turn by announcing he would cheer his fledgling club on at Suncorp Stadium in their eagerly-anticipated local derby with Brisbane Roar.
The iron ore baron last week pledged to snub Saturday night’s encounter after being outraged at the early-season draw United received from Football Federation Australia.
Gold Coast coach Miron Bleiberg also threatened not to promote the clash after the expansion club believed they should have hosted it at Skilled Park.
In a press release, the club chairman, referred to as `Professor Clive F Palmer’, declared he would definitely attend the match in Brisbane.
“I’ve decided to go to the game on Saturday night because I don’t want to disappoint our supporters or our team,” Palmer said.
“This is an historic occasion for our club and I don’t want to let our players down.
“Like the (Elton John) song says `United we stand, divided we fall’.”
In his own rallying call, Palmer also quoted from Churchill.
“We have done everything together at this club since we started and we will be there together on Saturday night,” he said.
“We are ready, we are confident, we are United and we will never surrender!”
The backflip comes as no surprise to Brisbane Roar or FFA officials who have all maintained the larger-than-life Palmer would not be able to resist the big-stage occasion.
Palmer immediately put his club in the spotlight when it received conditional approval by the FFA last year by boldly declaring United would win this season’s premiership undefeated.
Former Roar coach Bleiberg failed to attend a joint media conference in Brisbane on Tuesday, a no-show branded as disgraceful by Roar counterpart Frank Farina.
Bleiberg has been well pleased by Gold Coast’s unbeaten pre-season campaign but remains annoyed at their draw which sees them play at home only twice in the first seven rounds.
While the FFA have threatened to sanction Bleiberg, Gold Coast’s assistant coach Paul Okon said he was disappointed by the Roar’s actions in placing a cardboard cut-out of the coach at the media table.
“For me personally it was a little bit embarrassing,” Okon said on the Gold Coast.
“I didn’t think it was the right thing to do.
“It’s disappointing but at the end of the day it may have been a stunt to promote the game.”
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