Former Socceroo in talks with government as hunt for new Glory owner continues

Former Socceroo Mark Bresciano has met with the state government and the City of Stirling, part of a potential consortium looking to buy embattled A-Leagues club Perth Glory.

Nine News Perth can reveal Bresciano and property developer Ross Pelligra travelled to Perth to meet with WA Treasurer Rita Saffioti and officials from the City of Stirling this week.

And a new home base for the Perth Glory was a key topic of discussion.

Mark Bresciano.Credit: Catania SSD

One of the sites being floated is a vacant block beside the City of Stirling’s council offices on Cedric Street, favoured for its proximity to Mitchell Freeway and public transport services.

Pelligra, the driving force behind the revival of the once-mighty Sicilian football club Catania FC, submitted a non-binding offer to the Glory’s receivers back in August.

The meeting comes just two months after WAtoday revealed advisory firm KordaMentha had pulled the plug on a sale of the club to Melbourne property tycoon Robert Brij because certain preconditions had not been met.

Since then, KordaMentha has been attempting to re-engage those who previously expressed an interest in the club in a bid to secure a new buyer.

But it is understood a new deal could still be some time away.

KordaMentha were appointed receivers of the club in July after the A-League’s governing body, Australian Professional Leagues, slapped Perth businessman Tony Sage’s company Okewood with a breach notice amid revelations it had been bankrolling the club’s player and staff wages for months.

The move prompted Sage to surrender the club’s license, bringing his 17-year ownership of the Glory to an abrupt end.

A receiver’s report lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission shows APL funded the club’s expenses to the tune of $4.4 million, making it the entity’s second-largest creditor behind Okewood itself – which is said to have loaned the club $33 million.

Sage, a mining entrepreneur who was also part-owner of Perth Fashion Festival before its collapse, has been mulling sale options for years claiming he had spent $48 million trying to keep the club afloat.

He has previously pinned the club’s financial woes on the impact of COVID-19 on its income streams and its forced relocation during HBF Park’s revamp for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The meeting also comes as an ongoing battle against Okewood unfolds in the Supreme Court at the hands of creditor Kakka Enterprises on the basis the company is allegedly insolvent.

The entity, which lists businessman Kenneth Keogh as its director, is purported to have a 3.3 per cent stake in the club.

In December, KordaMentha and the APL were ordered to hand over documents canvassing Okewood’s finances under subpoenas issued at Kakka’s request.

with Jesinta Burton

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