YOU can expect a tense atmosphere at FFA Towers on Monday, when Adelaide boss Greg Griffin arrives with a forensic auditor to go through Football Federation Australia’s accounts on behalf of the A-League clubs.
Those accounts detail what’s spent on everything from David Gallop’s salary to the photocopying budget - but also parts of the World Cup bid going back nearly a decade.
The clubs have been demanding to see the books for more than a year, convinced they will find evidence of the FFA wasting money that could go to the, um, clubs. It’s taken months of negotiations to get to this point.
SYDNEY FC: Arnold happy to cop Wanderer heat
It’s impossible to overstate the significance of the meeting on Monday, as the clubs have been threatening legal action to get to see the FFA’s accounts - and may yet go to court, depending on what’s provided.
FFA CEO David Gallop.That’s on top of their promised legal action over the EGM FFA have just called. Expect the milk in Gallop’s coffee to curdle when Griffin arrives.
●●●
IT was meant to be a lovely celebration of football - a sponsor’s lunch on Thursday with a panel of experts discussing football in Australia. Ange Postecoglou was definitely a drawcard - as was Sydney FC fullback Luke Wilkshire, scheduled to sit two seats away from the national boss.
Only at the last moment did someone at FFA realise that the last time Postecoglou spoke to Wilkshire was to tell him he’d been dumped from the Socceroos squad on the eve of the 2014 World Cup, in a fairly strained conversation. Sydney were hurriedly asked to substitute genial GM of football Terry McFlynn.
Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou.Postecoglou was naturally asked about the controversy over his future, and our spies in the audience say he managed to answer the question without answering the question. The confusion goes on.
Ange finally speaks out
●●●
THERE aren’t that many ponytails in the A-League, and it’s doubtful there are any others with the vintage of Raul Llorente’s. Llorente has had long locks for some 15 years, and no one’s going to make him cut them.
Mot even Tony Popovic, even though we hear the recently departed Wanderers coach made it known he prefers a short back and sides upon Llorente’s arrival at the club. With the cheerful smile he seems to have had from day one, Llorente carried on as before.
Da Silva eyes up Socceroos
●●●
ALSO out west, plaudits to the Wanderers for the excellent mentoring program they have introduced for their W-League team. More than 30 figures including rally driver Molly Taylor, TV presenter Stephanie Brantz and the COO of Hyundai will be assigned to players to help them map out career paths and personal development.
●●●
IT was no coincidence Sydney FC premiered their documentary, ‘The Record Breakers’ - about last season’s record-breaking success - the week of the Sydney derby. The whole squad attended the premiere at Fox Studios and left more motivated than ever to take on their city rivals.
Still with Sydney FC, and while the attendance for their first home game of the season on Sunday night was disappointing, they made up for it with merchandise sales at the stadium.
On the back of last season’s success and the club’s new logo, more money was spent per head ever for any team at Allianz Stadium/SCG across all four local football codes.
The previous record was Sydney FC v Newcastle in 2012 - Alessandro Del Piero’s first home game.
In a room full of the country’s best female athletes, Sam Kerr was the biggest star at the Women’s Health Women in Sport Awards. She was quite rightly named Sportswoman of the Year and few cheered louder than her Matildas teammates Lisa De Vanna and Steph Catley, along with FFA boss David Gallop. Kerr has been so inundated with requests since arriving back in Australia that she now has her own PR person managing her schedule.
A-League Confidential: Angry A-League clubs finally get to go through FFA financial accounts | Daily Telegraph