Melbourne City hadn’t even knocked the top off their celebratory drinks when the news came through that the FFA Cup final on November 30 would be played in Melbourne, rather than Sydney.
Better knock back a few more, then.
Sydney FC fans, players and administrators have every right to be downright pissed off – and they are.
They’ve played every game of this season’s FFA Cup away from the home.
Sydney have played in Wollongong, Perth and Canberra – the closest they came to a home game was in the quarter final against Blacktown City which ended up being played in Edensor Park, which is Western Sydney Wanderers heartland.
Melbourne City have played in away in Perth and Brisbane, before a quarter and semi final, and now the final, at AAMI Park.
FFA chief executive David Gallop explained yesterday:
“There were a number of criteria that were committed to all clubs some time ago and it included one on commercial returns from the ground, the participants ability to create atmosphere at a midweek fixture and draw a crowd.”
One can only assume that the governing body is trying to give Melbourne City a leg-up, a chance to cash in on the Tim Cahill cash-cow and breathe new life into the franchise.
Given that around 15,000 showed up the Melbourne derby on Tuesday night, when 45,000 showed up to the round two version, it’s fair to say that the “ability to create an atmosphere at a mid-week fixture and draw a crowd” wasn’t looked at too closely.
Fairfax Media is reporting that ground hire for AAMI Park was less than half the asking price of Allianz Stadium, and that the two Melbourne clubs saw this stoush coming and went ahead to negotiate a competitive rate.
Once again, the FFA has placed the dollar before the fan – it wasn’t even down to “luck of the draw”.
Sydney FC chief executive Tony Pignata said earlier in the week that he had made Sydney’s pitch to the FFA, while chairman Scott Barlow said the decision was pre-determined and a “slap in the face” to Sydney fans.
He is right.
Melbourne hosted the final last year too, when Victory beat Perth.
That time it was the Glory fans who were slapped in the face, after travelling to Adelaide for the inaugural cup final their only reward for a second consecutive appearance at the big dance was a trip to Melbourne.
Football is for the fans. And that means the fans of each and every club.
If Sydney FC win their first FFA Cup on November 30, it will be an absolutely travesty that only a small percentage of their fans got to see any of it at all.
Matthew H
Guest
Not sure I agree with all of this. The FFA has clearly implied that organisations which are run the best will get the best treatment. This is shrewd when considering the history of club finances in the A League. The fans should demand their club be run as well as possible rather than slinging mud at the governing body. After all it's not the AFL where the final is ALWAYS played on the same ground regardless of who earns the spots.
Aethelbert
Guest
I thought you said Sydney were going to struggle this season.
Post_hoc
Guest
a gourmet bunch maybe?
Post_hoc
Guest
No mention of AFL, why did you rush here?
I hate pies
Guest
Haha, nice one The Word. Look at them go. It's almost like they know they borrowed their culture and pretend it's their own. Let me get this straight, I like soccer. I don't like pies, but I don't see how that's relevant to this conversation. But I digress. If soccer is to grow in Australia there needs to be some Australianness (for want of a better word) about it. Non-soccer fans just see guys pretending they're in Europe, right down to calling it "football". It puts the rest of us off. It's interesting, because we definitely play an Australian way (hard and dirty), but the fans seem determined to be anything but Australian.
Sydster
Roar Rookie
Whatever crowd the cahill circus draws to the final, Sydney FC would at the very least match those numbers.Many forget cahill is a Sydney boy, the public is crying out to,see him and on a big stage with other high profile players the ffa 's team have at their disposal , with the game being a final, people in Sydney would've made the effort to attend a final with a trophy beckoning.Personally I don't buy the ffa's,reasoning to play the game at aami.It's about maximising their return on their investment with cahill and an attempt to lift membership and crowd figures for their newly adopted baby.What the ffa doesn't comprehend is victory have melbourne sewn up, heart/city should never had set up shop in melb, elsewhere in the state or outer melb metro would have given them an identity.You don't create an identity out of one player alone.If the ffa wanted an investment return on cahill, he needed to go to either Sydney club or mvc...anything else is an imitation just as the ffa's decision to give the cahill circus an incredible leg up to host the final and huge advantage in winning their first trophy
punter
Guest
We are a diverse bunch!!!!
The word
Guest
cool story, bro
SVB
Guest
I never said anything of the sort. My post had to do with the fact that the majority of those billions of people come from one country. But don't hide your own feelings about how you feel. Oh..you've already let it slip out. Oops.
The word
Guest
Yeah, nah Australian soccer fans aren't defensive
The word
Guest
And yet half of the posts are about pies and bananas!
The word
Guest
But you think that Indians aren't people (or else are lesser people) Let he who is without bigotry cast the first banana
SVB
Guest
I don't follow AFL buddy.
The word
Guest
Why don't you throw some bananas at them?
AGO74
Guest
@Fadida and @Waz - it is not about Sydney hosting it over Melbourne (or vice versa). It is about drawing it out of a hat - ie completely random so as to protect integrity of what should be a marquee fixture. That is all. Nothing more - nothing less.
Kaks
Roar Guru
Agreed. Dont even care if it's decided on a coin toss. However reading an article like this which doesnt even provide a solution is ridiculous.
Mark
Guest
Should be decided by a random draw. Sure, there will be a loser, but at least it is transparent and both sides knew they had a chance. The current arrangement is totally non-transparent and biased in favour of certain teams.
Mark
Guest
I agree completely. It would have worked well with the 'You've gotta pick a team' campaign (as insulting as that campaign is for Canberrans who have no basis on which to pick any team, but I'll leave that aside). Yoshi reports on all the teams, then leaves 'you' to decide. Instead, now the whole Yoshi campaign can be reasonably accused of being FFA-sponsored marketing for Melbourne City.
punter
Guest
Wow Steve, football fans on a football tab, who would've guessed!!!! Why are you here?
Steve
Guest
Don't worry Pies- these guys need to get a room - they are in sync!! ....and so 1 eyed.