New A-League club names former Clive Palmer ally Archie Fraser as CEO

Former A-League boss and Clive Palmer ally Archie Fraser will head the new franchise Macarthur-South West United.

Former A-League boss Archie Fraser is to be named chief executive at Macarthur-South West Sydney United.

He was once a trusted ally of mining mogul Clive Palmer and is a former head of the A-League: now Archie Fraser is about to dip his toes back into football administration with Australian soccer’s ­newest expansion franchise, ­Macarthur-South West Sydney United.

Fraser will be unveiled as chief executive today, ending months of speculation over who would be given the tough job of leading the club when it debuts in the 2020-21 season.

A highly capable administrator who was CEO of AFL club St Kilda between 2006 and 2009, the 60-year-old is returning to his true sporting love for the first time since he was employed by Football Federation Australia as A-League boss in 2009 and 2010.

After leaving FFA, Fraser had a brief association in 2012 with Palmer, who went to war with then FFA chairman Frank Lowy over the expulsion from the A-League of the club the billionaire owned at the time, Gold Coast United.

The Scotsman was made CEO of Football Australia, a breakaway organisation Palmer formed in ­direct opposition to FFA but one which ultimately suffered the same fate as Palmer’s plans to build a replica of the Titanic.

It is understood Fraser was preferred over a number of candidates from overseas and locally, including former SBS football commentator and former FFA head of corporate affairs, Kyle Patterson.

It will be interesting to see how his appointment will be received by his one-time employer, FFA, given he has been one of its sternest critics over the past decade.

Fraser has often slammed FFA for the poor state of the game and the A-League in particular.

He has backed moves for the A-League to become an independent entity and has recently been involved with the Association of Australian Football Clubs, which recently released a white paper for the introduction of a national second division competition by the 2020-21 season.

“The A-League has to break away (from FFA). It’s unworkable,” Fraser said in an interview in 2015. “There are smart entrepreneurial owners working daily to make the game better and a central admin (FFA) that simply doesn’t add any value.

“I saw it from the inside and people are seeing it because nothing has changed. There hasn’t been progress other than on the park.’’

With the Western Melbourne Group, now known as Western United FC, Macarthur-South West Sydney United is one of two expansion sides admitted into the A-League at the end of last year.

Western United will play in the competition next season, but MSWSU, who will play out of Campbelltown Stadium and will unveil their new name and colours next month, won’t come in until the season after.

Meanwhile, Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder Roly Bonevacia has revealed he has played his last game for the club.

The Dutchman used his Twitter account to say goodbye to the Wanderers fans after two seasons.

“Unfortunately not the results that we wanted to end the season with. This also was my last game for the club. I would like to thank the fans, the staff and of course the players for an amazing 2 years! Thank you,” Bonevacia wrote.

The club is expected to announce that Spaniards Oriol Riera and Raul Llorente won’t be part of coach Markus Babbel’s squad next season, nor will German Alex Baumjohann.