A-League Confidential: RBB representative star of meeting between fan groups and FFA
KUDOS to both the FFA and fan representatives of all 10 A-League clubs for getting together for an epic meeting in Sydney on Wednesday night.
KUDOS to both the FFA and fan representatives of all 10 A-League clubs for getting together for an epic meeting in Sydney on Wednesday night. Trust has been at an all-time low between the two parties and this was the first time fans had the opportunity to air their grievances in front of David Gallop and Damien de Bohun, but we hear that at no stage did things get fiery. Rumour also has it that the representative from the RBB was the star of the show and played an integral part in making sure an agreement was reached on the night.
A clearly exhausted Gallop, who spent nine hours in meetings that day - first with the A-League club owners and then with the fans - addressed the waiting media at FFA headquarters close to midnight.
It’s been a tough few weeks for football in Australia, but the positive sentiments that emerged from both meetings suggests things are finally looking up.
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IT seems the football fans’ collective role in demanding FFA change certain processes hasn’t gone unnoticed by other sporting codes in the country. Some disenchanted AFL fans have taken to Twitter to suggest they should follow suit and boycott matches in an effort to be properly heard by the game’s governing body. “Soccer fans have shown the way!!!”, tweeted one AFL fan.
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FROM Sydney FC to... Barcelona? It seems former Sky Blues marquee striker Marc Janko’s eye-catching performances for Swiss team Basel are being noticed around Europe. The 32-year-old is the league’s leading scorer (sound familiar?) with 10 goals already and Spanish website Mundo Deportivo have earmarked him for a potential January loan move to Catalan club Barcelona, the main reason being that he would be eligible to play in the Champions League. Janko’s success in Europe might not be what Sydney fans want to hear, with his replacement Filip Holosko struggling to make his mark.
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UNFORTUNATELY it’s becoming a familiar story, but we hear there is growing discontent over at the Mariners. Tony Walmsley’s unwavering determination to play kamikaze football is admirable, but it means little when the team continues to suffer heavy defeats. We understand Anthony Caceres blew up after the 5-1 loss to Melbourne City last weekend and is desperate to leave the club, either for France or possibly Sydney FC, where he would be reunited with Graham Arnold. At least the drawn out saga involving Liam Reddy has come to end, with the Mariners finally terminating his contract. That means the goalkeeper is free to join another club, and those Wanderers rumours just won’t go away.
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ANGE Postecoglou was back in black this week, after the Socceroos coach was spotted attending the AC/DC concert in Melbourne. In true rock spirit, Postecoglou was dressed head to toe in black.
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IT’S been a busier few weeks than usual for Mark Bosnich, aka the Minister for Football. Not only did he play an important role in mediating the talks between the fans and FFA, but he also found the time to appear on an Iranian TV show to celebrate the 18th anniversary of Iran beating Australia to qualify for the World Cup. Incredibly, the show has an audience of between 12 and 20 million, so if Bosnich wasn’t a household name in Iran before, he certainly is now.
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THE Wanderers have donated signed football memorabilia, including a shirt, to raise funds for the children of RBB foundation members Nato and Kelly, who both tragically lost their separate battles with cancer. A dinner with Dario Vidosic and two other Western Sydney players is also being auctioned off to raise money for the children on the Wanderers Auctions website. The club is also doing a toy and book appeal over their next two home matches.
Originally published as A-League Confidential: RBB representative star of meeting between fan groups and FFA
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