Football Federation Australia has stepped in to cover significant losses at Brisbane Roar, with a cash injection believed to be in the region of $1.5 million.
While the peak body baulks at delivering life-saving funding of $650,000 for North Queensland Fury, the purse strings have been loosened to guarantee the future of Roar, which is actively seeking a majority shareholder.
The Coffee Club consortium, currently the team's largest shareholder, is looking to scale down its involvement.
It is believed Roar may have lost up to $3 million this season, though FFA disputes that figure, with A-League boss Lyall Gorman insisting the grant to the club does not come close to the $1.5m mark.
Other club sources claim that it does, with FFA’s intervention mirroring its involvement in the club last season when it similarly helped cover operational losses of around the same figure.
TWG understands FFA is also taking a hands-on approach at Roar, with its chief financial officer Tony Hallam spotted at board meetings amid claims coach Ange Postecoglou has been over-ruled in his efforts to find swift replacements for departed striker Reinaldo and young defender Luke Devere.
Gorman also disputes this, insisting a new signing for next season will be announced within two weeks. He also maintains that FFA’s on-going involvement will help take the club to a "new level".
“With the Roar’s anticipated participation in the Asian Champions League there is the opportunity there to inject new capital into the organisation to propel its growth and momentum,” Gorman told The World Game.
“It’s not a case of existing shareholders seeking to walk away from the club. It’s more about working with the club on an expansion and growth strategy. There will soon to be some announcements in that regard.
“We’ve seen how Brisbane fans and the corporate world respond to success in other codes and there’s no reason why football can’t be up there on the same pedestal.
“We have an existing agreement with the club whereby we contribute a certain amount of capital support and it’s not for us to reveal the amounts. But we are honouring that agreement and there is no secret in that.
“It’s all about better positioning the club to capitalise on its on-field success this year. There’s a remarkable opportunity to provide a turbo-charge to the club. This is a strategic evolution and not about us taking any form of ownership.”
On possible new signings, he added: “The club are certainly free to sign players. We want to make sure what’s been set in stone on the pitch this year continues.”
It is believed Postecoglou has been tracking an Argentine striker.
Roar CEO Peter McLennan said: “We are always looking for another investor. There’s nothing new there. At the end of the season there will be a review process. All our backers are committed until then.
“As for the FFA, they have been very supportive towards the club. But the details of our agreement is between us and them.”
Meanwhile, Gorman also insisted that no final decision had been made on the precarious future of North Queensland Fury, which is $650,000 short of the survival target set by FFA.
“I’ve been talking with Fury management and their advisory board on a daily basis and it’s wrong to say a call has been made on their future,” Gorman said.
“We want to ensure that every possibility is given for the football franchise to move forward.
“There will be decision sometime this month because we have to put a draw in place and determine the future structure of the A-League.
"But there is no drop-dead date on the club’s fate and no decisions have yet been made. We want to give Townsville every ounce of oxygen we can to maintain its football franchise. That’s been our desire from day one.
“It’s a work in progress and with the floods in Queensland and also now the cyclone we’ve parked those discussions. There are more pressing issues for that community to focus on the future of the Fury.”
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More mismanagement by the FFA on the A-League clubs
