Canberra's $4 million bid to join soccer's A-League has been sensationally resuscitated and chief organiser Ivan Slavich has declared the capital ready to answer an SOS from the sport's governing body, Football Federation Australia.
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Less than 24 hours after Mr Slavich revealed to The Canberra Times he had all but given up hope of gaining entry to the A-League, the FFA kicked mining billionaire Clive Palmer and his Gold Coast club out of the competition.
It means the FFA is now searching for a 10th team for next season.
And as soon as the decision to terminate Mr Palmer's licence was made, Mr Slavich sent a text message to FFA chief executive Ben Buckley to remind him Canberra was keen to join the league. The capital's A-League bid appeared doomed after Mr Slavich spoke with ACT Sports Minister Andrew Barr last week and was told the FFA did not plan to expand. Mr Slavich was preparing to refund the 2000 foundation memberships worth $200 each upon confirmation from Mr Buckley that Canberra was not in contention for a team.
But the dramatic and ugly battle between FFA chairman Frank Lowy and Mr Palmer has opened the door for Mr Slavich's dream to be revived.
The Gold Coast will be exiled from the A-League at the end of the current season.
Its departure will leave just nine teams in the competition and Mr Lowy has indicated he wants to find a 10th team for the 2012-13 campaign.
Two of the most likely options loom as possible franchises in western Sydney and Canberra.
Mr Slavich said Canberra was the ''logical'' choice and wanted to make sure a potential team did not fail if granted a licence.
''There's no point stopping and starting … the last thing the FFA would want would be to have a new team which fails after one year,'' Mr Slavich said. ''If they want a 10-team competition next year we're certainly willing to be that team and we're ready. There's no question the FFA views western Sydney from a strategic point of view as being ahead of Canberra.
''The credentials for Canberra are better than what western Sydney have in terms of Capital Football and the A-League bid team … it's more logical for them to talk to us.''
