News.com.au
A-League owners to take on FFA
Thu February 23, 2012 7:11am
DISGRUNTLED A-League club owners are considering following the lead of the National Rugby League clubs and forming an owners' association aimed at protecting their interests and having more of a say in the running of the competition.
It is believed the group, led by outspoken Gold Coast United owner Clive Palmer, hopes to meet next week to get the ball rolling on an alliance that will put considerable pressure on embattled Football Federation Australia in the wake of a disastrous week of bad publicity for the sport.
It was revealed that all 16 clubs in the NRL were unanimous in wanting a united voice following the formation of an independent commission which is now running the game.
While the idea of a similar set-up in the A-League is still very much in its infancy, it is clear owners Palmer, Nathan Tinkler (Newcastle Jets) and Perth Glory's Tony Sage have lost patience with FFA over a wide range of issues.
Palmer, who is involved in a war of words with FFA, indicated in a television interview on Monday night that the owners were agitating for more of a say on how the A-League was run because the clubs were losing as much as $25 million a season.
During the interview, the billionaire said he had lost $18m running Gold Coast United and raised concerns about the level of the salaries paid to FFA's management team. He also revealed he had paid $500,000 for United's licensing fee and that "poor Nathan Tinkler had to fork out $7 million (sic)".
Tinkler is said to be angry that he may have paid as much as 10 times more than what Palmer paid and issued a statement on Tuesday night suggesting he was considering his legal options against FFA.