Canberra A-League Bid Reportedly In Talks With European Partner

The Canberra A-League bid is in "advanced talks to partner with a European club" in a move it believes will make its bid "irresistible" to Football Federation Australia, according to Eamonn Tiernan of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The Canberra bid team has reportedly "been in negotiations with the Champions League club for months" and is "close to signing a partnership agreement." Canberra is "locked in a fierce battle" to secure one of two A-League expansion licenses being handed out on Oct. 31, with its "main bid rivals coming from Sydney and Melbourne." FFA CEO David Gallop "is wary of expanding into cities" with less than 1 million people after Townsville's North Queensland Fury "survived just two seasons before falling into financial ruin." Canberra has a population of just under 400,000 people, "but the backing of a European juggernaut would likely negate Gallop's concerns." The Canberra bid is also reporting "a groundswell of corporate support" (SMH, 8/1).