A-League in embarrassing U-Turn on controversial $12million grand final deal that set off disgraceful pitch invasion leaving goalie seriously hurt
- The $12 million deal with Destination NSW is about to be scrapped
- The A-League Grand Finals would be played in Sydney until 2025
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In what would be an embarrassing sporting U-Turn, the A-Leagues are on the verge of scrapping their controversial three-year, $12 million finals deal with Destination NSW.
The deal was announced days after the Socceroos reached the round of 16 of last year’s World Cup in Qatar – and sparked anger among football fans across the country.
On December 17 last year, as tensions mounted, a pitch invasion at AAMI Park left Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover, referee Alex King, plus a TV cameraman and two security guards injured in wild scenes.
The Melbourne derby was also abandoned due to safety fears.
Subsequent sanctions included a record $550,000 fine and a suspended 10-point deduction for the win.
The three-year finals deal worth $12 million left many fans outraged. Some were so angry they disgraced the match by storming the pitch during a match between Melbourne City and Victory last December (Photo: City’s Tom Glover after being injured in the chaos)
In scenes that generated unwanted global headlines, fans stormed the AAMI Park pitch to protest the APL’s decision
‘Bucket man’ Alex Agelopoulos, 23, was caught on camera attacking Glover in infamous scenes and was later given a three-month suspended prison sentence.
Other angry fans chose to boycott matches, including supporters of Sydney FC’s The Cove, who did not attend the elimination final against the Wanderers in May in a defiant message to the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) and Football Australia.
The $12 million deal with the APL and Destination NSW was stalled until 2025, with the deciders for the men’s and women’s competitions scheduled to take place in Sydney.
It’s a model the NRL and AFL use for their grand finals in Sydney and Melbourne respectively.
APL CEO Danny Townsend was reportedly baffled by the criticism following the announcement, as he firmly believed it was the way forward for the code on local shores.
In April, Sydney FC took on Western United in the women’s grand final at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta, with the men’s match against Melbourne City and the Central Coast Mariners in early June.
Nick Montgomery’s Mariners switched to this style and won 6-1 in front of a healthy crowd. But if the decider had featured two teams from interstate, it was believed in football circles that the crowd would have been embarrassingly low.
It’s understood the renewed deal with Destination NSW will see a ‘Magic Round’ staged across one weekend in NSW for both competitions – and the grand final will be hosted by the team that earns the right to host the decider .
This is a sporting tradition dating back to the now defunct National Soccer League (NSL) and is popular with football fans.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the APL for comment.