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Since its inclusion into the A-League’s salary rules for this season, the guest marquee rule has garnered an unsavoury reputation among fans and managers.
Fans made their discouraging opinions known when the only beneficiary of the rule so far this year has been Melbourne City with Tim Cahill and no other players have been deemed ‘guest player material’ by the FFA. But, that is after only six months.
The issue that drives some up the wall is the absolute badgering the FFA receive when they attempt to stretch their boundaries for the good of the game. The guest marquee rule is and exciting prospect and has some real potential. Watch those words, ‘prospect’ and ‘potential’. It seems every corner they turn fans are there in the blind spots going one hundred miles an hour in the opposite direction.
When at the beginning of the season, former Guangzhou Evergrande and Italian Serie A stalwart Alessandro Diamanti was set to join Melbourne Victory, but was rejected by the FFA, the fan uproar was immense.
Then again, most recently with the Western Sydney Wanderers attempt to sign Eduardo Da Silva, Croatian striker who’s featured shortly in the Premier League, a Euro and a World Cup, was turned down by the FFA. Fans resorted to the arguments, “but I know Eduardo” and “The Croatian populations will want to see him”.
Let’s revert to the criteria’s best example of star power in Alessandro Del Piero, these players do not pale in comparison to the marketing and footballing quality that he had.
The FFA has clear and concise requirements on who is worthy of the FFA’s financial backing which revolves around marketability, footballing quality and overall star power.
Surely any avid follower of the Premier League over the past decade would know Eduardo or any Bologna die hard would cry for Diamanti’s signature, but don’t use the FFA as a punching bag for an excuse for not being able to sign Arjen Robben, Fernando Torres or Santi Cazorla.
“But A-League clubs can’t afford those players” That is true, but the league is in its infancy as is the new rule and with time it will grow. It is important fans support it and give it time to fulfil its potential.
We must remember that with the new TV deal, which we are yet to see its effects, tides are gradually changing in the A-League landscape, but still we are hindered by those who want instant success and glory.
They want the knockout punch in the first round. That simply cannot happen.
The fact that next season the FFA will contribute a shared fund of $AU3million for A-League marquees is a sign that the FFA are not sitting on their backsides raking in the ‘Cahill Cash’ as most people think.
Fans and managers and clubs alike must understand the FFA’s position. It’s finally making money and is trying it’s best to help the league as much as possible but at its early profitability it needs to be extremely cautious and cannot be careless with financial distribution.
FFA CEO David Gallop himself revealed the need to be thorough with financial management with the new marquee player fund back in June, saying,
“There are leagues overseas that are offering a lot of money and we have to be conscious that we operate in a salary cap environment”
As the league grows, the clubs grow, the FFA makes more money to contribute to the marketing and footballing quality of the league.
At this stage of the league’s growth with expansion imminent, these rules and restrictions make sense. It’s not exactly rocket science, so sit back, get behind the FFA for once and prepare for lift-off.
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