VICTORY CHAIR WANTS FFA CRITERIA RELEASED

Melbourne Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro wants Football Federation Australia (FFA) to make public its criteria for prospective license bidders.

Di Pietro said this at a function on Friday, asking the governing football body to involve the clubs more in its activities.

The FFA has been under pressure to change its membership. There are plans for discussions between the FFA and the clubs which could change the body as a whole.

The clubs united in solidarity after the FFA sidelined them while they negotiated the TV deal worth $346 million. At the Victory in Business luncheon, with clubs and the FFA represented, Di Pietro made a strong case for more involvement of clubs in the affairs of the league.

Western Sydney, Sydney FC, Melbourne City, Adelaide, Perth and other A-League clubs were available as they want the FFA to stop redistributing 35 percent of the league’s revenue to other areas as they have for two years.

“The viability of the league since its inception has hinged on the club owners meeting the significant operational funding challenges of the league. These challenges are made harder knowing that A-League generated revenues are diverted to other matters, and that’s outside of our control or say,” Di Pietro said at the meeting.

The FFA also want to introduce more teams yet the criteria to be employed is not in the public domain. Di Pietro asked that the FFA consult all the stakeholders to draft this criteria, asking them not to “compromise the mainstream integrity and the marketability of the competition.”

He added that he was very much open to the idea of expansion but said it must happen “in the right places” with high profile marquee additions; “players that can catch the attention of the general public, not just those in this room. They don’t have to be the best in the world but they do have to be marketable,” Di Pietro advised.