Football Federation Australia has repeatedly snubbed Canberra and must initiate any future prospects of inclusion in the crumbling national competition, Canberra A-League bid leader Ivan Slavich says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Those desperate talks could come sooner than expected after billionaire Nathan Tinkler's Hunter Sports Group sensationally pulled the plug on the Newcastle Jets, handing back the club's licence for the 2012-13 season.
HSG's decision to cut ties with the Jets comes less than a week since the FFA and the Federal Government bankrolled a western Sydney team, a decision which signalled the death of the four-year Canberra bid.
Slavich was yesterday adamant it would be up to the FFA to get on the front foot if it looked at Canberra to fill the void as the league's 10th team.
''Canberra's been shafted so many times, especially when we demonstrated so many times that we had better credentials, I think the support would be less than it was two years ago,'' Slavich said.
''It won't be me contacting the FFA, they'd have to be passionate for us to join the comp.
''There's been so many opportunities for the FFA to embrace what has been staring them in the face for a number of years now.
''Every time our supporters and bid committee gets refused so I can't see the point.
''Even now [the FFA] will continue to persevere with every single option except the Canberra option.
''We've spent a lot of time and money on something that has very substantial credentials, so why would we bother?''
Slavich will write to his organisation's 2000 foundation members as he begins the process of refunding the $400,000 held in trust.
The A-League for Canberra bid amassed $4 million in capital.
As part of its reasoning for handing back its A-League licence, a statement from HSG said the FFA's own report identified combined club losses of $27 million for this financial year, with similar losses projected for next year.
Slavich denied Canberra had dodged a bullet by being kept out of the A-League, and believed his bid's proposal would be sustainable, even in the current climate.
Archie Fraser, the chief executive of mining magnate Clive Palmer's rebel body Football Australia, isn't so sure Canberra should accept if it is invited into the competition.
''I think Ivan and his team would evaluate it and would say we'll wait and see,'' said Fraser, who was the boss of the A-League from March 2009 to June 2010.
''I think that would probably be the smartest decision right now … whoever runs the A-League needs to be able to support the clubs at a much higher level.''
Football Australia will hold an inquiry into the running of soccer in this country at the Hyatt in Canberra on Friday.
