Football Federation Australia CEO David Gallop said that the momentum generated by Australia’s qualification for the 2014 World Cup and the upcoming sold-out friendlies involving ManU and Liverpool "can be captured and transferred to the A-League," according to Sebastian Hassett of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Having just seen more than 80,000 attend the final World Cup qualifier in Sydney against Iraq, some 100,000 are set to pack into the MCG for the match between Liverpool and Melbourne Victory on July 24, just four days after ANZ Stadium hosts the A-League All-Stars clash against ManU. Another 80,000-plus crowd "is expected for that game, with the match against the reigning English Premier League champions also being broadcast on Channel Seven" -- the first live football match on the network, outside the Olympics, in more than a decade. Gallop said, "The momentum is great to see but the task for us now is to maximize this very unique opportunity. There’s still hard work that needs to be done to make sure that we come out of this period with the game in a better position" (SMH, 6/25).
