Almost every A-League club or chairman has now released a public statement,either disagreeing with the move to strip hosting rights for the grand finals away from the highest-ranking team - dismantling a long-standing tradition that stretches back to the days of the defunct National Soccer League - or begrudgingly accepting it as a decision that had to be made for the greater good.
“The commercial reality for football in this country is still precarious,” said a statement released on Thursday by the Western Sydney Wanderers,whose chairman Paul Lederer heads up the APL board.
“We have just experienced two of the worst years in the history of football due to the impacts of the global pandemic – COVID-19. This unprecedented global event has affected our community as a whole and decimated the livelihood of professional football clubs.
“This grand final agreement creates a necessary step towards ensuring our game has a sustainable future. The APL board decision is for the benefit of every club in the League.”
Sydney FC said the frustration and anger of fans,many of whom have committed to staging various protests at matches this weekend,were coming through “loud and clear”.
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APL chief executive Danny Townsend met with the club’s main active support group,The Cove,on Wednesday night,along with Sydney’s chief executive Adam Santo and club chairman and APL director Scott Barlow,and is believed to have outlined the A-League’s difficult financial situation to them,and how the Destination NSW deal would help clubs stem the bleeding.
The Cove has since announced they will boycott Saturday’s clash with the Central Coast Mariners,whose own active fans have said they will stop chanting from the 20th minute,and not attend any finals series matches for the next three seasons. Some fans at the Melbourne derby have vowed to walk out of AAMI Park at the same juncture of the match.
“Given the current commercial realities of professional football in Australia,we understand that this decision was a difficult but necessary one for the growth of the game,” Sydney FC’s statement said.
“Driving our league in the right direction will require tough decisions from time to time,and tough decisions are not always the most popular ones. It is critically important the A-Leagues transition to a model that delivers long-term security and sustainability.”
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A-League club owners were due to meet in Melbourne on Thursday,with the APL’s governance structure - which gives only five of the 12 clubs representation on the board - believed to be high on the agenda of some chairmen.
Meanwhile,Socceroo Craig Goodwin confirmed this masthead’s report on Wednesday that he refused to directly promote the Sydney grand final deal in a promotional video shot for the APL because he didn’t agree with it.
“When they were doing the filming,there were two questions that I was asked. One of them I refused to answer ... the question was,‘Why do you support this initiative by the APL and DNSW?’” the Adelaide United winger said in an interview with Network 10.
“I didn’t want to answer the question because,as I voiced my opinion on social media,I didn’t support it,and I believe that it’s not in the best interest of the fans.
“I do feel it will affect the atmosphere at the grand finals. If you get,perhaps,us against[Melbourne] Victory,we’ll have maybe 10,000 going to support,Victory might get a little bit more,and then there’s a bunch of neutrals in the stand that won’t create the same atmosphere and passion as we’ve seen at every grand final to date.”