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Talk about throwing stones at a hornets’ nest. Football Federation Australia were about as popular as Tony Abbott at a Labor Party fundraiser yesterday when they announced that Melbourne Heart and Melbourne Victory would not be allowed to take part in Victoria’s Mirabella Cup.
Rumours were circling the FFA was set to forbid the state’s two A-League clubs from entering the new competition, before Michael Lynch of The Age confirmed every knock-out football fan’s worst fears by revealing the FFA had turfed out the Heart and Victory to protect their own brand at the expense of Football Federation Victoria.
The news kicked off an almighty outpouring of criticism on Twitter and other social networking sites, with fans scrambling to deride the FFA and bemoaning a missed opportunity for the A-League to reconnect at a grassroots level.
But before I lay the boot into the FFA – easy enough to do since their decision-makers seem to hail from the planet Xenu – I should point out I’m not convinced that much of the fan outrage at the decision is entirely genuine.
Recently I’ve fielded emails from a couple of high-ranking media types expressing their disappointment at the relentlessly negative attitude of Australian football fans.
And I understand their sentiment – even if I personally have never shied away from highlighting the less impressive aspects of the A-League and the way football is run in this country.
But the announcement that Victory and Heart will be barred from entering the Mirabella Cup seemed to act as lightening rod for fan disaffection.
Football supporters in Australia are now desperate to criticise the FFA for every decision they make, regardless of what that decision is or which stakeholders are actually involved.
And the FFA is in danger of losing touch with the very people who pour money into their coffers, with the game’s governing body already putting fans offside before a ball has even been kicked in Season 7 of the A-League.
I would argue the FFA’s greatest concern going forward is not the next TV deal or how they plan to expand into western Sydney, but rather the simmering resentment towards Ben Buckley and his cohorts for the way they’ve handled day-to-day affairs.
And informing Football Federation Victoria that Heart and Victory have been pulled from the Mirabella Cup after the FFV had already planned for their inclusion is no way to win over fans.
For what it’s worth, I think the decision to pull the pair is another poor one from a governing body which seems to have no idea how to manage public relations.
It’s one thing for the federation to protect their brand if an FFA Cup is actually up and running, but another thing entirely for them to retroactively deny the Heart and Victory entry to a tournament fans at both A-League and state league levels were already looking forward to.
Already the backlash has started for the FFA, who can not only look forward to fans at state league level and below rubbishing them, but also A-League fans who would like nothing more than to see their teams test themselves against a lower-league opponent before the A-League season kicks off.
One of the best games of football I’ve ever seen took place in Japan’s Emperor’s Cup, when the students of Meiji University lost on penalties after an incredible 3-3 draw away at J. League giants Shimizu S-Pulse.
It was exactly the kind of thrill-a-minute Cup tie every football fan loves to see, but the FFA are denying Australian fans that very chance by barring Heart and Victory entry into the Mirabella Cup.
They’d better hope an FFA Cup is a viable alternative and they ought to announce a format as quickly as possible, because otherwise the simmering resentment on the terraces threatens to overshadow any action taking place on the pitch.