Sage reveals rebel league talks

Palmer, who is locked in a verbal stoush with Football Federation Australia over a range of issues, contacted fellow mining magnate Sage a week ago to seek his support for the proposal.

While Sage has his own grievances with the governing body over the running of the A-League, he sought to dissuade Palmer from proceeding with the plan on the basis that world governing body FIFA would not sanction a rebel league.

It is believed Palmer also canvassed the support of another disillusioned A-League boss, Newcastle Jets chief Nathan Tinkler, who has threatened FFA with legal action after parting with millions - the undisclosed amount is understood to be the largest paid by any of the A-league’s 10 owners - to buy the franchise license.

“I had recent discussions with Clive and he did suggest the idea of a competition replacing the A-league and being run independently of FFA," Sage said.

“I explained to him how that would put Australia outside the umbrella of FIFA and that you wouldn’t be able to sign FIFA-registered players and play in FIFA-sanctioned competitions and he understood that.

“There’s no way it could happen here, unlike in rugby league where of course it did a number of years back. So the idea got knocked on the head pretty quickly.”

Sage revealed the owners have a number of demands they want the embattled governing body to address, including the appointment to the board of a representative for the clubs.

“I think that is a necessity," Sage said. "I have spoken to A-League chief Lyall Gorman, Ben Buckley and Frank Lowy about it and it needs to happen. It’s something the owners all agree on.

“The guys who have funded the A-League to the tune of $40-50 million since its inception and deserve a say in the running of the game and how their money is spent.

“What Clive is saying is that all they want is somebody on the board promoting their viewpoints. We all support him in that ambition.”

Sage is also pushing hard for FFA to lift the salary cap from $1.2 million to $2.5 million, as well as picking up the travel and accommodation expenses for squads of 20 when a team plays away from its home ground.

“We get about half the salary cap and all the accommodation is paid for by the clubs,” Sage said. “That doesn’t happen in the NRL or the AFL and is the biggest single problem facing the clubs.

"To me fixing that up is the number one priority.

“We need to match up with the other codes on this. If we can get this through then I think you will see the financial burden on the owners ease substantially and the clubs will become a lot more viable.”

The owners are also lobbying FFA to relax its restrictions on club sponsorships.

“The AFL has Toyota as the major sponsor and Ford is allowed to sponsor Geelong," Sage said. "In the A-League you have Hyundai as an exclusive backer and no club is currently able to find a car company to support it, or a telco for that matter.

“That needs to change when existing deals come up for renewal.”

Sage agrees with Palmer that FFA should look at its own wage structures in the wake of the Gold Coast chief’s claim on The World Game that its top five executives earn in excess of $5 million, while the clubs are starved of funds.

“Clive makes a lot of good points and the FFA should listen to him. He’s a very wealthy man who has made his money all by himself,” Sage said.

“The FFA should also listen to the other owners. Clive says things in a way that get attention.

"He’s very colourful and he asks for people’s heads to roll. That’s his way of doing things, it’s not mine necessarily. Nor the other owners.

“We do it behind closed doors - which way will work I don’t know but there certainly needs to be change. Clive is highlighting a lot of things that the other owners agree with.”

Sage believes that when negotiations for a new TV rights package with Fox Sports are concluded over the next 12 months, FFA will fulfill its promise to deliver the clubs the full salary cap cash.

“That’s my belief. It’s unfortunate that is still 12 months away, in which time the clubs will lose even more money,” he said.

“But clubs in the NRL and AFL are also losing money and they have far better TV rights deals than us. So this is not just an A-League affliction. It’s across sport.

"Sponsorships and memberships have fallen because of hard times in the Australian marketplace.”

Sage fears the ongoing dispute between FFA and Palmer, in which the latter called for the head of Buckley and challenged FFA to take him to court, could harm the brand.

“It looks like two sides have gone to their corners and have come out fighting," Sage said. "It’s not good to see our dirty laundry aired in public. I don’t think it’s the way to do it."