Football Federation Australia (FFA) could be on a collision course with a majority of A-League team owners after vetoing a plan backed by seven club chiefs to incorporate up to two teams from Asia in an expanded competition.
CEO David Gallop confirmed to The World Game this week that the governing body was not interested in courting teams from the likes of Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia or Hong Kong.
But the issue looks set to be raised again at a meeting between FFA and club bosses in Sydney on 9 April.
A team of UK-based consultants, led by influential English agent Jon Smith, has been working on the project for four months after being enlisted by Central Coast Mariners owner Mike Charlesworth to canvass the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), FIFA and FFA on the viability of expanding into the region.
Initial discussions with Gallop in Sydney in November were followed up by lengthy talks with AFC officials in Bahrain earlier this month and then FIFA representatives in Zurich last week.
The plan is supported by Brisbane Roar, Newcastle Jets, Adelaide United, Perth Glory, Western Sydney Wanderers and the City Football Group, which controls Melbourne City.
But, despite what Charlesworth says is positive feedback from both the Asian and world governing bodies, FFA's preference appears to be to keep A-League expansion within Australia ahead of the next TV deal in 2017.
Charlesworth, who received official confirmation from Gallop this week that the idea is a non-starter from FFA’s perspective, insisted it’s a mistake not to embrace a populous continent which he believes would bring added value to the competition.
"There’s probably a glass ceiling for growth of the A-League right now, or at least to a level that’s needed to compete successfully with the other football codes," Charlesworth said.
"Expansion north can tap into tens of millions of football fans, significant commercial opportunity and subsequently a raft of top EPL marquee players who have already expressed an interest in helping grow football across the region.
"If we truly want football to become the biggest sport in Australia we need to be more ambitious and this platform would not only help us achieve that but put domestic Aussie football on the global stage.
"I think we need to be less insular in our approach. The FFA's priority seems to be the national team ahead of the A-League."
Charlesworth’s representatives, on the advice of the AFC, also met with World Sports Group which is behind the ASEAN Super League, a concept which Singapore and Malaysia have already put forward to FIFA and invited Australia to allow its clubs to participate in.
Adelaide United chairman Greg Griffin is forthright in his backing of Asian expansion, declaring: "There's a good groundswell there. Mike Charlesworth has a really good team working with AFC and in the Asian countries.
"If it takes our league into more populous areas, we are very happy to support it. It would a terrific thing to see a team from Asia in our competition.
"We can’t say we are part of the region and then do nothing other than paying lip service. We need to collaborate and cooperate … and if the interest is there from Asian entrepreneurs who perhaps want to improve their standards by playing week-in week-out in what I think is a strong competition, we should do it.
"We should lose this defensive mentality that the A-League is only about building up Australian football … because it’s not.
"It’s about creating the best possible league we can and a return on the investment from the owners who have put in significant sums.
"If we can increase the popularity of the competition, get a better TV deal, that’s more important to me than the view that we would in some way be strengthening say Singapore by letting them in. That argument is nonsensical, and I reject it."
Griffin believes domestic expansion has its limits, adding: "You can bring teams into places in Australia, but if they go broke who’s going to pick it up … if you are going to do it needs to be in the right location.
"Melbourne Heart didn’t work and wouldn’t have worked but for the buyout from the City Football Group, but there is clearly scope in Victoria outside the CBD. That’s a non-brainer ... when you look at somewhere like Geelong. Why that is not being pursued is beyond me.
"I would personally love to see two more teams from Australia and two in from Asia at some stage … 14 would be a terrific number."
Brendan Schwab, Special Counsel for Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), is less bullish about pushing the boundaries of the A-League.
He said: "Clearly it’s a complex issue … we would need to be satisfied that it is commercially and strategically sensible.
"It would need to be very carefully scrutinised in terms of broadcast rights, player welfare, cost of travel and footballing considerations.
"We only have to look at difficulties we have balancing Asian Champions League schedules to realise what problems would be associated with that.
"It’s important to focus on the sustainability of the 10-team competition you already have and look at moving into areas within Australia that are heartlands of the game.
"But in football you should never say anything is impossible. However, Asian expansion would be extremely ambitious and would be something we wouldn’t foreshadow happening in the near future."
