Cash-strapped A-League club Brisbane Roar faces a fierce backlash from the wider Queensland soccer community after forfeiting two games in the state’s National Premier League competition.
The Roar’s youth team, which plays in the second-tier league, has withdrawn from away games against Cairns-based Far North Queensland FC (July 11) and Townsville-based Northern Fury (July 18), citing increased training demands ahead of their glamour friendly against Liverpool on July 17.
However, it’s understood the real reason is that the Roar – currently crippled by a financial crisis and unable to pay players and staff – cannot meet costs for flights and accommodation.
Rival clubs are furious at the decision, which has been seen as hugely disrespectful to the NPL and damaging to the competition’s integrity, with both forfeits to be recorded as 3-0 defeats.
Football Queensland chief executive Geoff Foster said he was unhappy but accepts Brisbane’s justification.
“They certainly understand how seriously we treat the league and the level of disappointment we’re currently feeling,” Foster told AAP.
“We will share our disappointment with FFA.”
Football Federation Australia declined to comment, saying it was a matter between the club and Football Queensland, while Brisbane Roar had no further comment beyond their initial press release issued on Wednesday night.
It comes after the state of Brisbane’s perilous finances were laid bare on Tuesday by a leaked e-mail to staff, which claimed owners The Bakrie Group had promised to refinance the club with a $3.5 million cash injection.
However, the money is yet to arrive, leading to the non-payment of wages which were due on June 15.
Both FFA and the A-League players’ union described the situation as “unacceptable”.
It may not get better in a hurry – the club has significant debts owing to a string of creditors, their sponsorship with The Coffee Club is set to expire on Tuesday and sacked coach Mike Mulvey is poised to take legal action with the Roar yet to pay out the rest of his three-year contract.
Meanwhile, the Roar are scrambling to find a suitable training venue for when players return for pre-season duty next week.
The club’s contract with the Queensland Rugby Union to train at Ballymore has expired and Brisbane’s new home base, Perry Park, is not in a good enough condition to deal with any further traffic.
Josh
Guest
This is not the reason, I have friends in that team and they have to get themselves to the game (parents drive etc) and as a couple of the players were involved in the friendly the offical reason is true
Waz
Guest
A League new season fixtures out this morning, apparently Roar open up with an away game at Wanderers with a unique Thursday night starter for the new season. Not too sure about Thursday's but at least it's an away game on a Thursday not a home one.
Lionheart
Guest
Our stadiums leave those old stadiums in England for dead. Went to a couple of Championship matches and the stadiums were very old school, one used for EPL too.
Lionheart
Guest
Different coach may have seen a different player in Kaluderovic. Frans certainly didn't favor him, but we'd best move on now.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Well, watch and see how Roma improves as the new stadium is built if you want a current example. Juve have gone from strength to strength after that finished their new stadium. The rest of Serie A will be dragged forward by those two clubs.
Realfootball
Guest
Indeed it would be. Not a pretty picture, I suspect.
Realfootball
Guest
Interesting. Thanks Waz.
Bob
Guest
There was a good doco on TV a while back on that. Traced the growth of the EPL to improvements in stadium infrastructure post hillsborough. Can't see any such investment happening in Oz though and certainly not for football.
Bob
Guest
I like the idea of a bit more cooperation between the codes although I don't see it happening, none of the 4 football codes seem to trust any other!
Waz
Guest
Real, an interesting read below. A dual expansion with NRL would certainly be, well interesting ;-) http://m.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-a-league-prepare-dual-expansion-bid-based-in-ipswich/story-fni3fbgz-1227418637667
Waz
Guest
Interesting, I knew there were a few smaller clubs in NRL struggling financially but I didn't realise AFL had similar issues. One area that's always interested me is the centralised government funded stadium model, particularly outside of Melbourne. Small European soccer clubs have found financial stability through ownership of their own stadium due to lower costs than renting and additional revenue streams that become all year round and non-sport related. As an example the secrecy over what it costs to rent Suncorp Stadium for a game is bizzare, it's been estimated it costs Roar $220k-$260k/game to rent it with League and Union rumoured to be getting a better deal based on larger average crowds and therefore bigger F&B spend. But is this central stadium model helping or hindering professional sports in Australia and why is there such secrecy over what it costs to rental a public facility?
Midfielder
Guest
Waz I think in the salary cap there is both a high and low so you can't spend over a certain amount but you also can't spend under a certain amount.
TK
Guest
It would be interesting to know how many clubs across all codes make a profit at the elite level.
Paul
Guest
The HAL is the smallest of all football codes so it is absolutely essential that club finances are managed well, there's little room for error. And to underline this look at AFL: "The established (AFL) clubs are convinced that the push of second teams into Queensland and NSW is starting to strain the commission’s finances. In a series of exclusive reports over the past two weeks, The Australian has exposed a brittle financial structure underpinning the league. Thirteen clubs — the Suns and the Giants not included because they are being funded by the AFL — are carrying a combined debt of $91m. Last year eight clubs finished in the red. This season’s results will be no better. Up to eight clubs are forecasting losses again. The Saints and Carlton have budgeted for $2.2m losses. Carlton’s result, in particular, has blown out but they had a poor start to the season and had to remove coach Mick Malthouse. The Western Bulldogs and Adelaide forecast losses close to $1m each. Geelong are expecting a negative result anywhere between $250,000 and $500,000, while North Melbourne could lose $60,000. Fremantle and Brisbane might break even." The AFL have worked hard on their marketing and deserve their mega TV deals, and that gives them margin for error which the FFA simply does not have!
Waz
Guest
Just on the side topic of "where will Roar train next week?" .... I was at Perry Park tonight for the NPL fans (sadly lost 1-2 to the Strikers) but the better news is the training pitch to the side of the main pitch is marked out, goals in place and in good nick for training so that's where is expect to see the mighty, if not paid on time, Roar be training next week.
Waz
Guest
Ok, I can live with that. His work rate wasn't roar-like I agree
Waz
Guest
Ask me again at Christmas ;-)
TK
Guest
Personally I fail to see how running a football club is any different to any other business. You have a product with associated costs to produce and a customer base that you want to grow to build your income. The product at roar over the past 4 years has been on average excellent, obviously the costs of producing the product have been to high and the efforts to grow the customer base have been poor. So with 2/3 elements going south it is no suprise the product is also suffering and customers are going to bail out making covering the outgoing even more difficult. I agree with comments about getting some excellent business management ppl in is necessary but I really think that any a league club needs 15-20000 punters rocking up to make it viable. We have had 11 years now and every year there are problems which makes me think the current costs are too high to produce the product and expectations of customers turning on to the product just because it is there are overly optimistic. A bit like the traffic tunnel system in brisbane.
Realfootball
Guest
Disagree on Kaluderovic, Waz. 3 pens made his goal tally from open play look much less impressive. He lacked pace and strength. Was not surprised to see him go.
Bob
Guest
Whilst you can't expect the FFA to be across everything, but first Perth and now Roar have been excessive in their financials. Surely there needs to be some better oversight? At the moment this crisis is contained to the Roar but it still has an indirect impact on the HAL and if Roar subsequently find they've breached the salary cap (no suggestion from me or anyone that they have, just what if ...) then the FFA could end up stripping away 1, 2 possibly 3 titles and Roar would start next season with a points deficit that would cripple them and damage the season and the HALs reputation. Surely the FFA have to be more robust in their oversight?!?