On The Attack: Broadcast farce shows why APL, Townsend, and Hearn, have ‘a lot to answer for’

As the APL has limps from one catastrophe to another, former Socceroo Robbie Slater and Marco Monteverde discuss the biggest issue in Australian football this week: the broadcast farce.

As the APL has limps from one catastrophe to another, Socceroo Robbie Slater and Marco Monteverde discuss the biggest issue in Australian football this week: the broadcast farce.

Utter shambles

RS: The A-League has become a soap opera. It’s just one catastrophe after another, the latest being the collapse of the production company the APL chose for their broadcasts.

MM: It’s definitely been a season to forget for the Australian Professional Leagues administration.

Thank goodness they seem to have found another production company to ensure the A-League men’s and women’s competitions for the rest of the season, but it’s definitely been a costly exercise.

SLATER: My fears for A-Leagues survival

RS: The two guys that used to run the APL, Danny Townsend and Ant Hearn, have a lot to answer for.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 18: Danny Townsend, A Leagues CEO, looks on at the announcement of the Unite round when all A leagues games will be played in Sydney during an A-Leagues Media Opportunity at Allianz Stadium on October 18, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images for APL)

They went for the cheapest production option in new company Global Advance three years ago when the APL took charge of running the A-League, and now look what’s happened.

MM: In hindsight, they definitely went with the wrong option.

RS: And what’s worse is that now, when the APL is cash-strapped, they’re going to have to pay another production company to ensure the A-League men’s and women’s competitions are broadcast for the rest of the season.

Good luck to them in trying to get the $2.5 million back from administrators now that Global Advance has collapsed.

Danny Townsend and Ant Hearn have a lot to answer for about the state of the A-Leagues coverage. Picture: NCA Newswire

It’s just utter shambles, and it comes back to the ridiculous contract the APL signed with Network 10 and Paramount.

The fact that the APL agreed to pay for production costs was farcical.

MM: It’s another decision that has come back to haunt them, but’s a contract that’s got two more years to run.

RS: Yes, and Network 10 and Paramount, who have done nothing for our game, are going to get rewarded with another deal from Football Australia to keep showing the Socceroos and the Matildas.

FA is just going where they are going to get the most money, rather than picking the best broadcast option.

I know FA chief executive officer James Johnson is concerned that if the Socceroos and the Matildas go to another network, 10 and Paramount will further bury the A-League but that all comes back to the mistake of the original deals agreed to by FA and the APL.

]Football Australia CEO James Johnson must be concerned at what could happen to A-Leagues coverage if it’s split from national teams in future deals. Picture: NCA NewsWire

And let’s face it, 10 is only really interested in the Matildas.

How else can you explain their decision to relegate the Socceroos to 10 Bold for their two matches against Lebanon?

MM: That was disappointing that 10 didn’t show the Socceroos on their main channel. They’re our national team and deserve better.

RS: The whole of Australian football deserves better from 10, Paramount, FA and the APL.

I can’t believe we’re in this state.

It’s a disgrace and we need answers.

We still don’t know where all the APL’s money has gone apart from the $50 million that was wasted on its digital arm KeepUp that hardly anyone knew existed.

We need an independent audit and I’m not going to let up until one is conducted.

Neither are Mark Bosnich and Craig Foster.

Craig Foster (above), Mark Bosnich and Robbie Slater are pushing for an independent audit into the state of the APL. Photographer: Christian Anstey

We’ve been biting our tongues for long enough.

I find it extraordinary that FA, which has a spot on the APL board, and still has a 20 per cent stake in the A-League competitions despite the unbundling a few years ago, isn’t demanding that such an audit takes place.

Again, a lack of transparency is killing football in Australia.

MM: How concerned are you about the future of the A-League beyond this season?

RS: There will always be a national competition.

The FA needs a professional competition in Australia, but who knows what that’s going to look like in the future.

The future of the Newcastle Jets is under a cloud. Picture: Getty Images

What’s happening with the Newcastle Jets? Are they going to fold? Is Canberra going to be part of the men’s A-League next season? Will Canberra United still be in the women’s A-League after this season?

These are all questions that need to be answered, and there are so many more that also remain unanswered. The silence is deafening.

Roo beauty

MM: Well, in what’s otherwise been a painful week for Australian football, the Socceroos can hold their heads high after two wins over Lebanon, with Tuesday night’s 5-0 victory particularly convincing.

RS: Yes, there was a lot to like about the Socceroos performance, especially on Tuesday after they had spent a few days together on the training paddock.

It was also fantastic to see John Iredale, Patrick Yazbek and Josh Nisbet given debuts across the two matches.

Josh Nisbet looked right at home in his debut for Australia. Picture: Getty Images

I was particularly pleased for Nisbet, who has been superb for the Central Coast Mariners this season.

Many questioned whether he could succeed at international level because of his stature, but he looked right at home in Australia’s midfield on Tuesday night after coming on as a second-half substitute.

Iredale and Kusini Yengi scoring their first international goals was a good sign for the future, while Craig Goodwin was simply magnificent in Canberra.

When he’s in that mood, he’s unstoppable.

MM: I was also happy for Ajdin Hrustic to be back in the team.

Robbie Slater believes the tackle which injured Ajdin Hrustic should have been a red card. Picture: Getty Images

It was just a shame that his night ended early in Canberra due to that awful tackle that left him with an injured ankle.

RS: There’s no doubt the Lebanese player should have been sent off rather than only be shown a yellow card.

Tackles like that have no place in our game.

Originally published as On The Attack: Broadcast farce shows why APL, Townsend, and Hearn, have ‘a lot to answer for’