Perhaps the saddest thing about Steven Ugarkovic’s collector’s item of a goal at Coopers Stadium yesterday was the sobering reminder it might be the last one we see for a while.
Talk about your surreal rounds of football.
Sunday’s late kick-off in Adelaide was played in front of a funereal atmosphere at Coopers Stadium, and the Reds put in a worthy performance as they simply failed to turn up in the 3-0 defeat.
It was one of Newcastle’s most impressive wins of the season, and it may well have all been for nothing given the uncertainty surrounding the A-League.
I spoke to an official on Friday who admitted that some clubs would do it extremely tough financially if gate receipts weren’t factored into their ongoing budgets.
But that’s the situation we’re looking at – although this is clearly a rapidly developing story – if clubs are forced to play games behind closed doors because of the coronavirus.
And that may be the case if host broadcaster Fox Sports insists games are played as a means of creating some content for what would otherwise become a gaping hole in their schedule.
The coronavirus is bad for business for everyone in the game, but if fixtures continue then Fox Sports and its streaming service Kayo might actually see an increase in viewership.
It’s hard to see how that happens, though, if travel bans are strictly enforced and clubs like Wellington Phoenix are factored into the equation.
Before yesterday’s early clash at Westpac Stadium, both visitors Melbourne Victory and hosts Wellington Phoenix were assured they’d be fine to play the fixture in the Kiwi capital before flying back to Australia.
Yet by the time the game had finished the Department of Foreign Affairs had apparently changed their tune, insisting the returning players would now have to undergo a compulsory 14-day quarantine period.
That prompted Professional Footballers Association chief executive John Didulica to lash out in a statement after the match, blaming the Australian government’s “ad-hoc decision-making” for the revised advice.
Victory striker Ola Toivonen was similarly nonplussed, tweeting that Victory had been promised by the Australian government “there would be no ramifications returning to Australia on Monday.”
The swirling claims and counter-claims and ever-changing information was a reminder that much of the way we’re dealing with this potentially fatal disease is being made up on the fly.
And we can’t pretend to know how much of a strain coronavirus is placing not only A-League players but also all the other staff employed by clubs, not to mention the league itself.
Which is why, assuming the A-League does return to normality at some stage, this whole crisis should probably lead to a reckoning in the way we consume our football.
Because things were starting to change even before coronavirus hit.
Fox Sports commentator Simon Hill is routinely regarded as the voice of the A-League, but how difficult is it for him to call games off a studio TV screen instead of inside the stadium?
And what happens if Fox Sports decides they can’t afford to pay marquee commentators at all? Do those who work in the game suddenly shift over to Optus Sport for less money?
What about a Toivonen or a Milos Ninkovic, Diego Castro or Adam Le Fondre? Do they stay in Australia for smaller salaries than what they’re currently on now?
And how about the clubs themselves? Some of them are already run on virtual skeleton staffing. How much leaner can they get?
Perhaps a self-enforced break will help the A-League get its ducks in a row and prepare to come back bigger and stronger than ever.
Or maybe it will force the competition to the wall.
At some point we might have to prepare for both scenarios.
Because if an utterly surreal weekend of football taught us anything, it’s that the A-League could all just disappear in front of our very eyes.
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Fine print: Force Majeure
Stevo
Roar Rookie
Hahahahahahahahahaha :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
Aiden
Guest
We play out the remaining games on FIFA.
Kanggas2
Roar Rookie
A R I’ve read your posts for a year now , and all I can say is after millions of years of human evolution, you’re kind of a disappointment.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Chris I might be wrong but I heard that the economic/trade war between China and US was hitting the Jets owner pretty hard.
Football is Life
Roar Rookie
Well done that man
AndyAdelaide
Roar Rookie
If the season ends, what happens to the players that are on loans? Will they be able to break this and go back to there parent club?and also the players coming off contract at seasons end. If the season is ended now they have fulfilled there contracts and would be able to sign for new clubs right? interesting one for the ffa to figure out….
Micko
Roar Rookie
Well mate I'm interacting with probably around 40+ fellow employees today. That good enough?
AR
Guest
“Ironically, with no European football on and people spending time at home we may yet have more viewers for the A-League than ever.“ Looks doubtful Ben. I don’t think a single game on the wknd made the Top 20 for Fox, which usually cuts off at about the 30k mark.
Fadida
Roar Rookie
Ha! I wouldn't have had to tell you off. Just a withering glare would have been enough (Like the one Fowler gives the 4th official all game)
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
The advantage of the A-League being well advanced into its season is that it's less likely that clubs will need to refund any part of membership fees.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Geez David, that might end up being a very long wait! (especially with private ownership, who is going to impose these standards you are demanding?)
David Corner
Guest
its going to still go ahead with the Phoenix based in australia
Kanggas2
Roar Rookie
No sense of humour
Redondo
Roar Rookie
My knees think up is fine but down is bad.
Redondo
Roar Rookie
When I were a lad, we stayed in a liftless pensione in Rome and had to climb 269 stairs from the foyer to our room. We made sure we only went out once a day.
Redondo
Roar Rookie
'One dong' is a bit presumptuous. And none of me secretly admires Robbie Fowler's coaching, although he does do good gritted teeth.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
failures? I never think of the A League as a failure, but there's plenty of room for improvement.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
stairs? try that with st*#ed knees like running, great for you, until your knees go
Kanggas2
Roar Rookie
I see Fadida / Redondo as a double team . One dong the George Clooney thing in the e r , while the other opinionsises the roar ,, both secretly admiring through gritted teeth Robbie Fowlers coaching ability I had a nurse in a Newcastle hospital tell me off the other day .. I bet that was Fadida / redondo .., apparently I touched a coffe cup that hadn’t passed bio hazard yet lol ., lesson learnt .. doing a good job both of you