Man City is "believed to be high on Football Federation Australia’s wish list as the likely next opponent for the A-League All Stars next year," according to Ray Gatt of THE AUSTRALIAN.
FFA CEO David Gallop confirmed on Monday that "he is already looking for another high-profile European club to play in Australia." While he refused to name any of the clubs under consideration, he admitted that "it is one regarded as being in the world top 10."
FFA "is determined to continue to build on the All Stars concept" following the success of Sunday’s match against Italian side Juventus, "when 55,000 watched the locals push the Serie A champions all the way before losing 3-2 in the dying minutes." Whether FFA "can attract one of the ‘Big Four’ remains to be seen, given they are in heavy demand for pre-season tours" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 8/12). In Sydney, Dominic Bossi reported FFA disclosed to A-League clubs a A$1M ($930,000) "direct profit from the Juventus friendly match and confirmed the All Stars concept will remain an annual fixture for the foreseeable future." Gallop said, "We're already in heavy planning to make sure there is another big fixture." The All Stars concept "received a favourable response from the Juventus players." Simone Pepe, who scored the winning goal for the Italian champions, "praised the standard of Australian football" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 8/11).
