Football Federation Australia has "given the strongest hint yet" that it may "delay the release of the highly-anticipated A-League expansion blueprint," according to David Davutovic of the HERALD SUN. It comes as Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou "renewed calls for expansion, declaring 10 teams was not enough." FFA issued a statement, claiming it will "have more to say in coming weeks," adding new clubs were "doomed to fail if not commercially viable." FFA CEO David Gallop declared that Australia’s national teams "shared equal priority with the A-League, as FFA battles to satisfy its many assets." South Melbourne, Geelong-based Victoria United, Tasmania and Wollongong "headline a group of clubs/consortia eager to join the A-League or a newly-formed second division." Gallop said, "With the certainty provided by the new broadcast deal, FFA has been analyzing the commercial position of the sport to determine both the feasibility of A-League and W-League expansion and the process to determine where and when expansion should occur" (HERALD SUN, 2/7).
SATISFYING FIFA: The AAP reported FFA said that FIFA showed "complete satisfaction" with its attempts to change its voting structure in a meeting with officials in Zurich last week. The claim is "in stark contrast" to reports that Gallop and FFA Chair Steven Lowy "took the trip in an effort to persuade FIFA to delay or kill off reforms the world governing body has long pushed for." In a statement released on Monday afternoon, a spokesperson said that Gallop and Lowy met with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and other senior figures to "confirm" their intention to expand FFA's congress, the body that determines who sits on FFA's board. FFA will "begin meeting with key stakeholders next week." A new voting structure "would give sections of the game such as players, referees, women's football and futsal a greater say in how the sport is run" (AAP, 2/6).
