The more things change…

Just when you thought the FFA had moved on from shooting themselves in the foot the Sydney Morning Herald pop up with another ghost written article from Kyle Patterson.   

Once again we see the Football Federation of Australia at their disingenuous best leaking parts of a story to the press and debating an issue in the public arena instead of using the ‘highest level of corporate governance’ and engaging in good faith.

We spotted it last week when the fan debacle came to a head in Sydney.  The FFA started surrounding themselves with their media luvvies until they had to come to the realisation that the media were the people making the gathering happen and forcing the FFA to come to the table.  I’m reliably informed that Kyle Patterson spent the whole period sitting in a corner fuming and mumbling under his breath while looking about as popular as Robbie Slater at a Fox staff party but this week he’s back in the saddle calling in his media favours.

Of course the article is as ever full of inaccuracies because the FFA don't need facts to manipulate the media story to their side and the journalists ghost writing for them can't even spell diligence let alone excecise it.

An FFA spokesman assures me that the FFA are NOT waiting for a proposal from the Wellington Phoenix.  The Phoenix have been waiting on responses from them FFA which have finally been delivered in recent days. The Phoenix wanted to know what the ‘metrics’ they are expected to deliver are and at long last the FFA have responded.

The clubs believe that negotiations with the Phoenix are going well but clearly the FFA feel the need to ratchet up the pressure and are once again looking to negotiate through the media as it's not like that has gone wrong for them every time they have tried it before.

Following the PFA fight which resulted in player strikes, the fan debacle which resulted in supporter strikes and the earlier Phoenix leak which resulted in the football federation being shot down by every group of Stakeholders they have you would have thought they might have learned but no here we go again with the mainstream media lapping up the half truths and outright lies fed to them by 'An FFA spokesman'

Never let it be said that the FFA learn from their mistakes.

- Once again the Mickey mouse club that runs the FFA have undermined a stakeholder.

- Once again the FFA have lied to the media. 

- Once again the panacea for the embarrassingly long list of A-League ills is another club in Sydney. 

- Once again the gang of three embarrass the game and remain employed.

- Once again the case for an independently run league to regain some integrity and credibility becomes clear.

South Sydney Heart

So it’s South Sydney again and best of all Tim Cahill wants to be involved.  Well that should guarantee success.  Much like Man City’s involvement in Melbourne has City playing in front on 20,000 every week and hauling in huge TV audiences.  It should be noticed that despite having the highest profile owners and the league’s best player City are averaging smaller crowds and less viewers than the New Zealand club that are squatting on a licence.

When you look at it this could well be the future of South Sydney.  Cahill’s face might give your club a profile but the football people in the Sydney region are already engaged with two clubs.  Like Melbourne Heart just adding another club in the same market is a move fraught with dangers and new owners are unlikely to have pockets as deep as those behind Heart.

Also, are the FFA over-estimating the Cahill factor?  The Socceroos aren’t the brand they once were and Cahill has hardly caused an explosion in Pacific Islanders moving from League or Union to play football.  He’s not coming back from the UK at the peak of his powers with his profile at its highest.  Is he actually that much of a saleable commodity any more?

Still, let’s be honest, does anyone actually have faith that those running the A-League have the best interests of the league and the game at heart?  Every chance a naïve and badly formed plan will nosedive again and they will be made to look foolish in the media but they will carry on employed and protected by their media lapdogs and incompetent board.

99 (well five) problems and the… 
Meanwhile as the FFA undermine the Phoenix once again doing their best to distract from the disaster they are over-seeing across the rest of the league the news sitting quietly that 5 of the 10 clubs have failed to make expected financial obligations on player payments.  CCM, Adelaide, Newcastle, Brisbane and Perth are all looking for a visit from Australian Debt Recoveries in the next few days while the team squatting on a license have paid up in full.

Of course one of those that hasn’t paid is Newcastle, the club owned and run by the FFA. A disgrace.