It "might be going too far to call it a game changer," but there can be no doubt Man City's majority purchase of A-League side Melbourne Heart "is going to significantly alter the landscape of the A-League," according to Ray Gatt of THE AUSTRALIAN. As was the case with EPL clubs when Sheikh Mansour, one of the wealthiest men in the world, bought Man City in '08, the other A-League entities "will be nervously looking over their shoulders and wondering how they will be able to compete against such enormous resources." Thankfully, the A-League salary cap and strict guidelines "will ensure a fairly level playing field while the presence of such a massive player in world football is a boost and huge compliment to the A-League as a whole" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 1/24).
CHANGE OF HEART: In Sydney, Gatt wrote Melbourne Heart "is likely to become Melbourne City FC under a deal that could change the dynamics of the A-League." And Heart "won't be the only club to find itself under new ownership." Football Federation Australia is "expected to make an announcement by the middle of next month" that it has sold the Western Sydney Wanderers to a consortium led by businessman Paul Lederer, for an amount believed to be close to A$8M ($7M). The Man City-National Rugby League Melbourne Storm consortium paid $11M for Heart, with Man City acquiring an 80% shareholding and a group led by Storm Chair and Kiwi entrepreneur Bart Campbell taking a 20% stake. The new owners "indicated there would be no major changes to the club in the short term." There are, however, "indications the club could have a name change as Melbourne City FC has been registered." Given the "enormous financial and football resources" behind Man City, the Heart "now sits on the cusp of being one of the most powerful entities in Australian sport" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 1/24).
OUT OF THE BLUE: In Melbourne, Michael Lynch wrote Melbourne Heart's directors "were always open to the idea of selling the A-League franchise if they could attract investors who were prepared to put in sufficient cash to 'take the club to the next level.'" They just "never imagined it would be investors with the financial clout" of Man City. In fact, Heart's directors "were not even aware of the Premier League club's role in the deal until Wednesday afternoon -- just hours before it had been concluded." They were "told of its involvement while they were in their lawyers' offices concluding the final details." Until then, Heart thought that it was dealing only with Campbell. He had "been one of a number of potential buyers." Most of those potential buyers "turned out to be tyre kickers" (THE AGE, 1/24).
VARYING OPINIONS: GOAL opined that the Man City takeover could finally see the club "make good on its promise of developing an identity based on attractive, possession-based football, with the Socceroos among the potential beneficiaries." The failure to develop an identity or achieve consistent results "saw the Heart stagnate, on and off the field, to the point where real doubt was beginning to be cast on their long-term viability." That is "all set to change now, with the City-led consortium expected to invest heavily in infrastructure and personnel" (GOAL, 1/23). FOX SPORTS' Simon Hill opined the news "must have come as a brutal shock to those crowing about sagging fortunes, in the face of cricket's onslaught." Bandwagon jumpers "have been quick to escalate this war between the sports, with many of those involved retreating into petty parochialism, attempting to justify how football will forever remain small in Australia." Man City's takeover "is a symbol of the growth of the game in this country -- a growth too many refuse to acknowledge" (FOX SPORTS, 1/23).
POSTECOGLOU REACTION: In Sydney, Sebastian Hassett wrote Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou has hailed the investment of Man City in the A-League "as a sign of the competition's rise from strength to strength." Postecoglou: "I saw the news and it's great. It's another indicator of the growth and development of our domestic league which seems to be growing every year.'' Postecoglou said that he had "a particular hope it would inspire Heart and others to upgrade their training facilities." Postecoglou: ''I think their involvement will certainly help in many ways. They can bring in a lot of expertise. The area where we still need to develop our A-League clubs is with their training facilities, bases at home and off-shore" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 1/24).
PLANTING THE SEEDS: In Melbourne, David Davutovic reported unknown to any of the parties involved, events in N.Y. on May 21 "played a major part in the breathtaking sale of Melbourne Heart eight months on." As former NSL club South Melbourne and a separate Shanghai-based consortium submitted bids late last year, the City-Storm consortium "was secretly preparing" its bid and a replica model of the 80/20 arrangement from N.Y. Man City CEO Ferran Soriano said, "The reality is very simple; Simon and I met with Frank Lowy some months ago, we expressed an interest in the A-League. Simon and I had just one conversation with Sydney FC. We haven't been interested in any other club" (HERALD SUN, 1/24).
NOT THE FIRST CHOICE: In a separate piece, Hassett reported before Man City settled on purchasing Melbourne Heart, the club "tried to buy Sydney FC last year." Heart was not Man City's first Australian choice and "perhaps not even their second." Sydney FC Chair Scott Barlow revealed that he "point-blank rejected the overtures of City's Abu Dhabi-based investors last year." Barlow: ''Their primary focus at the time was New York but Sydney was very much on their radar. I conveyed that we were by no means motivated sellers and that we were very committed to Sydney FC.'' Sydney is "not threatened by the new arrivals." Barlow: "Today's announcement I believe is a positive for Melbourne Heart and we welcome Manchester City's involvement on the A-League. What we won't welcome is any attempt they make to introduce sky blue. There's only one sky blue club in the A-League, and that's Sydney" (SMH, 1/24).
O'NEILL RETURN? Also in Sydney, Dominic Bossi reported Former FFA CEO John O'Neill "has not ruled out a spectacular return to the code by joining Melbourne Heart." It is "an outside chance, but the man who formed the A-League could become a key figure in the competition he built after indicating he would listen to an offer to take charge of Melbourne Heart if approached by their new owners." O'Neill: ''You never say never. It's not something I'm planning on doing. I've got a bit on my plate at the moment, but I certainly enjoy the success of the A-League and the success of the FFA" (SMH, 1/24).
