‘Slap in the face’: Sydney FC legend slams Ninkovic’s move to Wanderers

Sydney FC legend Alex Brosque has described Milos Ninkovic’s move from the Sky Blues to bitter rivals Western Sydney Wanderers as a “slap in the face” to fans of both clubs, criticising all three parties for a transfer he says should never have happened.

Ninkovic was on course to be remembered as one of the best in Sydney FC’s history after delivering three premierships, three grand final triumphs, an Australia Cup and winning two Johnny Warren medals in the sky blue jersey. Instead, he will finish his career as one of Sydney’s most disliked after signing with the Wanderers for what will likely be the final year of his career.

Milos Ninkovic has left Sydney FC for the Wanderers.Credit: Getty Images

“As a football fan, it should never have happened,” Brosque said. “I am genuinely upset at all three parties involved. I am upset at Sydney FC, I am unhappy with Ninkovic, and I am unhappy with the Wanderers.”

When the 37-year-old Serbian announced his intention to leave Sydney FC in an Instagram post on June 4, no one was more surprised than the Sky Blues’ hierarchy. An offer to the veteran star was still on the table, as was the promise of a long-term coaching job with the club’s academy.

However, a condition of Sydney’s contract offer was that Ninkovic would be required to gain Australian citizenship, so freeing up a visa-player spot - and that is what eventually sent him west.

“The fact the club based the deal on whether he’d become a citizen or not is ludicrous to me,” Brosque said. “Ninkovic gave so much to the club and vice-versa. It should not have gotten to this point.”

“I’m upset”: Retired Sydney captain Alex Brosque is unhappy seeing Ninkovic join the Wanderers.Credit: Wolter Peeters

By the time Ninkovic went public with his grievances, the whispers within football circles of a move to Western Sydney had become deafening. Concerned about the damage it would do to Ninkovic’s reputation with Sydney FC, Brosque reached out to his former teammate.

“My angle was that he needed to protect that [legacy], he needed to worry about that and think about that when he finishes football. If he had an issue with the club, it should have stayed that way,” he said.

But that plea fell on deaf ears. Ninkovic couldn’t be talked out of a move that would torpedo his standing with Sydney FC.

“The derby is not about the clubs, derbies are not about the players, they are about the fans. For Ninkovic to join the Wanderers is a slap in the face to every fan,” Brosque said. “I don’t know if he fully comprehends that. As someone who has played in huge derbies, he knows what it’s all about and that’s where I expected more from him.”

The significance isn’t lost on the Wanderers. A club that banned its staff from wearing blue in the office didn’t even mention “Sydney FC” in the announcement of Ninkovic’s signing on Sunday night. From day one, a big a part of the Wanderers’ identity of who they are has been who they are not, which is why seeing the former Sydney FC star in red and black has already proven divisive among Western Sydney supporters.

Ninkovic’s signing will benefit the Wanderers in every area from leadership to publicity. But while the player has gained one more year and a more rewarding contract, it has come at the cost of becoming one of the few genuine icons of an A-League club. “He’ll never really be associated with any club now,” Brosque said.