FFA has been in ‘caretaker mode’ in running of A-League and it has come back to bite them, writes David Davutovic

RE-LIVE: Football has had many critical junctures and this week could be the biggest of the A-League era. Re-live David Davutovic’s discussion of all the hot topics.

FFA Chairman Steven Lowy & FFA CEO David Gallop speak about the crowd behavior and publication of banned fans at a media conference at Football Federation Australia headquarters.

SOCCER has had many critical junctures and this week could be the biggest of the A-League era.

I’m not talking about the fan boycotts either, which I am confident will be resolved now that FFA and respected voices in the game have taken leadership of.

Just as disgruntled are the A-League owners as Steven Lowy faces his second true test within three weeks of replacing his dad as Football Federation Australia chairman.

His first — last week’s press conference alongside David Gallop two days after the chief executive’s bumbling public display — was solid without being spectacular.

Frank Lowy had an aura and command that could soften or deflect the biggest of issues, but what Steven lacked in that — and it may come with a growing confidence — he made up for with his measured approach.

He will need all of his diplomatic skills when he meets the 10 A-League chairmen tomorrow in Sydney.

Long-time FFA critics Greg Griffin (Adelaide United) and Tony Sage (Perth Glory) have been joined by the consenting crew.

Melbourne Victory chairman Anthony Di Petro has articulated his discontent in recent days and it’s understood that Western Sydney chairman Paul Lederer, who bought the club from FFA for just over $10m, is privately seething.

Melbourne City board member Simon Pearce, who invited the A-League chairmen to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for a second year running, has taken a leading role among club powerbrokers during the FFA meetings and is again expected to do so on Wednesday.

The clubs have grown tired of the FFA’s dictatorial approach without a long-term vision or strategy for the A-League.

There is also a feeling among A-League officials that the FFA’s ‘golden boys’ are those on the Socceroos brief, while the A-League department are the ‘juniors’, adding to the discontent about the lack of attention given to the fledgling national competition.

We ran a list of FFA’s 32 own goals on David Gallop’s watch in the Sunday Herald Sun, and the owners would probably be prepared to cop it if there was a vision.

Di Pietro’s remarks that FFA has been in “caretaker mode” were absolutely spot on.

The Frank Lowy-run FFA was so hellbent on a smooth father-to-son transition over the past year that they neglected making hard, necessary decisions so as to not rock the boat.

That’s come back to bite them where it hurts in a big way, underlined by the shambolically handled negotiations with Wellington Phoenix, whose future beyond this season is not guaranteed despite just five months left in the season.

While the cynics would say the game is in crisis, there is no way the world’s most popular game can fall apart from here.

The A-League is too well entrenched and there are too many clever, passionate people waiting to step in and become involved.

But the voices of discontent are at their most vocal since the dark days of North Queensland Fury and Gold Coast United yet the calibre of businessmen involved with the clubs has never been greater.

The clock is ticking for the FFA to sort out the issues with the game structured and administered in its current form.

Check out David Davutovic’s Studs Up live blog below ...

Originally published as FFA has been in ‘caretaker mode’ in running of A-League and it has come back to bite them, writes David Davutovic