Former A-League boss Archie Fraser to be announced as Macarthur South West Sydney CEO

Macarthur had interest from the MLS and English Championship for its CEO position, but the newest A-League franchise opted to stick with a man with a close connection to the competition.

Archie Fraser at a press conf to announce a new soccer watchdog , Football Australia headed by Archie Fraser , and talk about his clubs problems , at his corporate office in Brisbane.

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The A-League will welcome back one of its toughest critics when Archie Fraser is today named inaugural chief executive of Macarthur South West Sydney.

Fraser, the former A-League boss who quit then briefly joined Clive Palmer’s attempted breakaway governing body, will throw all his muscle into the expansion club ahead of its 2020-21 introduction.

The 60-year-old, to be unveiled at a press conference featuring chairman and chief financial backer Lang Walker, has been received as a left-field choice given his stern appraisals of Football Federation Australia.

Former FAA CEO Ben Buckley (L) with then- A-League boss Archie Fraser.

Fraser was head of the A-League for 14 months in 2009-10 but resigned after falling out with then FFA chief executive Ben Buckley.

Then, in 2012, he was announced as CEO of Palmer’s ‘Football Australia’, a short-lived rebel organisation concocted in response to FFA’s axing of the latter’s A-League expansion club Gold Coast United.

Since then he’s been a vehement critic of Australian football’s former hierarchy, especially

during the recent governance crisis.

Fraser, a former footballer in his native Scotland and Australia, also served as chief executive for AFL side St Kilda.

Most recently, though, he has on board with the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC) steering the drive for a national second division alongside AAFC chairman Rabieh Krayem, who is also undertaking consulting work with Macarthur through Walker.

It’s unclear whether Fraser will continue his role with the AAFC.

Macarthur say they also fielded interest from the MLS and English Championship for the chief executive role, as well as another interstate A-League club.

FFA communications manager Kyle Patterson was also previously approached to run the franchise, which will enter the competition in the 2020-21 season, though withdrew his interest late last year.

Macarthur is due to announce their club name and colours at a luncheon in Campbelltown on May 15, along with a front-of-shirt sponsor.

Originally published as Former A-League boss Archie Fraser to be announced as Macarthur South West Sydney CEO