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Tasmania to give league a sheikh

17 March 2009 | 17:41 - SBS EXCLUSIVE: Philip Micallef

Tasmania United, the consortium seeking to become the 12th team in the A-League, has declared that Football Federation Australia would be mad to knock back its bid that will be supported by a billionaire Saudi Arabian sheikh.


 

The Tasmanians have enlisted billionaire Mohammed Hussein Ali Al Amoudi, rated by Forbes in 2009 as the world's 43rd richest man worth an estimated $9billion ($A13.6billion), as it seeks to join the expanding competition in 2011.

“FFA would be mad to knock us back,” the bid’s director of football Ken Morton said.

“We will make them an offer they can’t refuse. This is a goer. Like Gold Coast United, we want to make the league as best as it can be.”

Morton, who was coach of the Wollongong City team that reached the finals of the old National Soccer League in 1982, is back in the limelight after spending several years coaching in Malaysia, Vietnam and Ethiopia.

“I was fortunate enough to meet Al Amoudi in Ethiopia,” Morton said of the Ethiopian-born baron who made his fortune in construction and real estate before turning his attention to oil.

“He just loves his football. He ran the Ethiopian federation, he looked after the national team’s expenses, he owned a club St George’s and built a stadium for them.

“He is a brilliant man and we believe the man will come on board and be a significant benefactor to Australian football.”

Morton said the deal was not done yet “officially”.

Morton, who helped build Wolves into a NSL force more than 25 years ago, said he was confident of making Tasmania a competitive team “just like I did in Wollongong”.

“Aurora Stadium in Launceston is one possibility as a home ground, but we would be moving around,” Morton said. “And I reckon we would be able to attract 12-15,000 people to our home games down here.”

Morton, who owns a football school in Hobart, has been calling Tasmania home for many years and is excited at the prospect of becoming involved again in senior football in Australia.

Morton would expect to be the club’s first coach but Australian Steve Darby, who is currently Malaysia’s assistant coach, is understood to be also interested in the job.

“Tasmania is an Aussie Rules state but football is the biggest growing sport down here by a long shot,” Morton said.

“Participation is quite huge now and we also have some good players. My South Hobart club alone has just let four players go to the state leagues in Victoria and Queensland. So there is talent here.

“But of course we will have to buy players from overseas. Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, you can start putting that one about.”

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