Papas was delighted to accept the opportunity to continue his development as a coach overseas and to be involved in Indian football at a time of great change.

"I'm only 32, and it's a very exciting time to be involved in Indian football. I think it is very important for my coaching education to coach across Asia," Papas said.

"With a huge population, FIFA is very keen to grow the game there... I'm very keen to show what I can offer."

It will be a whirlwind couple of weeks for Papas as he goes into camp with the Indian side on 1 June in Dubai.

The squad has organised a 10-day training camp at the quarters of UAE club Al-Wasl, coached by Diego Maradona, and hopes to organise a friendly match against the Argentine's team as preparation for the AFC under-22 Asian Cup qualifying campaign beginning next month.

After the tournament in Oman, Papas will continue coaching the side in the domestic I-League where it plays as Pailan Arrows.

"The fact that the players play together in the national domestic league is a positive for Indian football," Papas said.

Papas who has a track record of developing young talent is under no illusions about the challenge that awaits him on the sub-continent.

"India is not the strongest in world football right now, but there is a lot of talent in the players over there and coaching them technically is a work in progress.

"Indian football is undergoing a change of philosophy about how they play the game.

"In a way, they're in a very similar position to where Australia was a few years ago when we were trying to implement a national system.

"Down the track, if we do well in the (Asian Cup) qualifying matches, I may even get the chance to coach against Australia."

Farina was in charge of the Socceroos in their failed bid to qualify for the 2002 tournament and was dismissed by Frank Lowy in the latter stages of the campaign for 2006.

Today Farina is plying his trade as national coach of Papua New Guinea.

After being relieved of his last job in Australia with Brisbane Roar for driving under the influence of alcohol in 2009, Farina has adapted beautifully to his new job.

"Look, I do get annoyed and frustrated sometimes and working here showed me another side of coaching," Farina said, after a training session on the Gold Coast where he is putting the finishing touches to his squad's preparations for the forthcoming 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign.

"But the best thing about it is that I went there with an understanding of what to expect and what I was getting into.

"So it was not like I went to PNG completely cold. I grew up there, after all."

It is a far cry though from the days when Farina was in charge of high-profile stars like Mark Schwarzer, Craig Moore, Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka as they strutted their stuff on some of the world's big stages.

"Obviously things are a lot different to what I was used to with the Socceroos," he said.

"I knew I would not have the same set-up, facilities, funding and backing and I saw it as real challenge to be honest.

"However regarding the work ethic and professionalism from the players I could not ask for more.

"It has been a pleasure working with them. I find the whole experience refreshing, actually.

"They are not very big in stature but technically very good players and, I tell you, a couple of them could play in the A-League.

"Their major problem is that they do not play too many games of a certain level on a regular basis."

Next week the unfancied island nation will take on New Zealand, Fiji and Solomon Islands in a round-robin in Honiara in the first step of its qualifying campaign.

"Hopefully we can achieve success in this World Cup campaign," he said.

"It's going to be very hard. New Zealand should win the group easily and the way I see it is that it will be a three-way battle for second spot between us, Fiji and the Solomons to go into the next phase."

So would success with the unheralded PNG team give him more satisfaction than his previous feats at a higher level?

"Not really," he said. "I'm a greedy bugger and I want to win every time because winning is always satisfying, whoever you get it with.

"I've just got a different mountain to climb now. Having said that, success here would be fantastic, just like any other, mind you."

Farina, who lives in Brisbane but commutes to Port Moresby every month, is the latest recipient of the Alex Tobin Medal, the annual Professional Footballers Australia award given to past or current players for their services to the game.

"I was shocked and honoured by the award," the 47-year-old said.

"I even asked Brendan Schwab when he rang to tell me of the award: 'how the hell did I get that?' and you can quote me on that."

Farina's latest recognition for his achievements on and off the field will go a long way towards restoring his reputation among the football family that was sullied by the DUI affair.

Although he would not bring up old grudges it is no secret Farina felt terribly let down by governing body Football Federation Australia when his contract with Roar was terminated.

"Some individuals were behind what happened but it not worth going into it again," he said.

"It's all in the past now and I'm not going to blame anyone else because at the end of the day it was myself who got into trouble.

"And how they dealt with it was their choice.

"Winning the Tobin Medal might restore my reputation although I still believe I don't have a bad name in Australia.

"Without trying to sound big-headed, at the time I had a high profile so the incident gave some people an opportunity to attack me from every angle.

"People might say that is what comes with the territory but it was not nice, put it that way."

In a statement, the club thanked the versatile player who joined from Adelaide United in April 2007. Kemp made 79 appearances for Victory, his last being against Greek giant Olympiacos. During his time, Kemp won the Premiership/Championship double in 2008/09 as well as an international cap against Kuwait, during the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in 2010.

“I’d like to thank the club for those opportunities and wish them all the best in the future,” Kemp said.

Kemp also wanted to be clear that injuries weren’t a factor in his decision. “I could have continued playing, but my decision was more based on the future. I felt it was time to look ahead, re-train in areas that will provide future professional opportunities and most importantly, give me a chance to spend more time with my family,” he added.

Managing Director, Richard Wilson said: “We thank Kempy for what he has brought to our club and wish him and his family all the very best for the next phase of their lives.”

Kemp is the latest player to leave the club under recently installed coach Ange Postecoglou. Fellow veterans Carlos Hernandez, Grant Brebner and Ante Covic have already been released.

The Queensland native will be presented at the annual PFA Awards in Brisbane on 13 June. Farina joins an illustrious list with Mark Viduka, Joe Marston, Craig Johnston and Johnny Warren (posthumously) named as previous winners.

Since earning a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport in 1982, Farina has enjoyed a successful career as both a player and coach.

He played with the Canberra Arrows, Sydney City and Marconi in the former national soccer league (NSL) for six years before a seven-year career in Belgium, Italy and France. On his transfer from Club Brugge in Belgium to Bari in Italy in 1991, he attracted a then record transfer fee for an Australian player of $3.2 million.

He also played for Australia in the 1983 World Youth Cup, the 1986, 1990 and 1994 World Cup campaigns, the 1988 Bicentennial Gold Cup and Seoul Olympics. In total, he played 86 times in an Australian shirt, including 37 ‘A’ internationals for 10 goals.

At the Brisbane Strikers Farina took on a player-coach role, winning the 1997 NSL championship before a capacity home crowd. In 1999 and at just 34, he was appointed national coach of the Socceroos before being replaced by Guus Hiddink in 2005.

“Frank Farina rose to the top of Australian football at a time and in an environment where it was difficult to do so – let alone for a self-described skinny kid from regional Queensland via New Guinea,” said PFA Chief Executive, Brendan Schwab.

“He was in the second intake of players to the football program at the AIS 30 years ago and he has been an important contributor to the football narrative in Australia ever since.[Frank] was appointed to coaching positions at a very young age, without the benefit of the professional coach education now available.

“He has helped advance Australian football both here and overseas, and he is a worthy recipient of the Alex Tobin Medal.”

The final phase of Australia's World Cup qualifying journey starts with travel to Muscat - and the peak of the region's summer - on June 8.

While Kennedy, a standout with Japanese club Nagoya Grampus since 2009, is looking forward to taking on his J.League counterparts on Australian soil on June 12, the challenge of playing Oman is foremost in his mind.

Oman, buoyed by its first phase 1-0 triumph over Australia in November, will host the Socceroos in conditions that, at their worst, could reach 40C.

Kennedy warns that match will be a big challenge for several reasons.

"I think we've seen that we can't underestimate anyone," said Kennedy.

"They (Oman) will think they can do the same thing (beat Australia) obviously, they did it last time.

"It's going to be tough conditions as well with the weather, and a lot of the boys now, from Europe, are in an off-season.

"All these little things that we really need to concentrate on, we need to come together as a team and do it."

Domestically, Kennedy has been making the most of a stop-start campaign in the J.League, where he has missed the odd game due to a back injury.

Now recovering from his early season ailment, Kennedy has been in sound goal-scoring touch for his club - netting three times this season - after slotting eight goals in green and gold throughout 2011.

One of the more prolific marksmen chosen by coach Holger Osieck in the 30-man squad for next month's matches, Kennedy will share goal-scoring responsibilities with experienced trio Tim Cahill, Brett Holman and Harry Kewell, along with emerging stars Robbie Kruse and Nikita Rukavytsya.

"I guess it gets down to the serious end of it all, every game counts and you can't slip up," said Kennedy.

"I definitely want to be a part of things and just like in the last round of qualification, help the team win games, score goals and get us through to Brazil.

"Obviously there is still a few old faces from when I was first involved. I also think there's enough talent coming through to carry us on past this World Cup and the next one.

"It's an exciting time."

Since missing the 2011 Asian Cup through injury, Kennedy has regained his standing as one of the team's cornerstone members under Osieck.

After nine years playing in Germany, bilingual Kennedy has evidently struck up a good working relationship with German Osieck.

"I like it (working with Osieck) very much, to be honest," said Kennedy, who has found the back of the net eight times from as many appearances under Osieck.

"I think I understand him maybe a little bit more than the others with his German but he's enjoyable to work under.

"He's honest and he gets down to business and doesn't muck around."

The Joeys will play three matches in the four-nation tournament against Japan, Laos and Thailand.

After last week’s draw for the AFC U-16 Championship 2012, Edwards will use this tournament for competitive match experience and to blood some new players.

"We are really looking forward to this opportunity to gain much needed international football experience," said Edwards.

"During the last few training camps the focus has been on identifying the players that best suit our style of play and I’m pleased to see that our young Australian footballers have adapted well.

"We have a 12 game international program leading up to Iran (AFC U-16 Championship) and the experience gained in Laos, Saudi Arabia and Bolivia will provide an excellent platform for the players to develop."

The Joeys will assemble in Canberra on Sunday (27 May) for a short pre-tournament training camp before heading to Laos next Wednesday.

Joeys squad is:
Jordan Thurtell (gk) - AIS
Darcy Madden - AIS
Aaron Calver - NSWIS
Benjamin Warland - AIS
Dylan Pickert - AIS
Kevin Ly - NSWIS
Steve Kuzmanovski - AIS
Liam Rose - NSWIS
Lawrence Hanna - Parramatta FC
Daniel De Silva - Football West
Alex Gersbach - NSWIS
Lucas Spinella (gk - AIS
Jeremy Tshongo - AIS
Jack Iredale - Football West
Brendan Gonano - AIS
Matthew Ntoumenopoulos - AIS
Joshua MacDonald - NSWIS
Lukas Stergiou - Sutherland Sharks FC
Bright Appiah - AIS
Matthew Schmidt - AIS

Joeys tournament schedule:
2 June 2012 - Australia v Japan
4 June 2012 - Laos v Australia
6 June 2012 - Australia v Thailand

Download a PDF of the National Competition Review

FFA hopes the findings of the report will improve the quality of Australia's footballers.

“Throughout this process, we have consulted with the football community and listened to what our various stakeholders have had to say.

“These reforms will allow us to seize some great opportunities and to address a number of important issues in the football community.

The five main outcomes of the NCR are:

1. Evolution of the Elite Player Pathway to

:: recognise the important contribution of state-based elite clubs

:: address gaps in the Talented Player Pathway

2. Definition of competition windows and participation requirements to

:: Extend the duration of the season in critical stages of player development

3. Introduction of an Elite Club Licensing program to

:: increase the quality of youth development practices

:: develop better coaches

:: require clubs to explain their fee structure and ensure that fees are reasonable and not excessive

:: regulate the role of player agents and private academies

:: improve club governance and financial reporting

4. Introduction of a Player Points System to

:: correct unsustainable player payments in State League competitions

:: promote local youth development within the club team structure

5. Revision of Training Compensation regulations to

:: Reward clubs which achieve accreditation

:: Increase the flow of revenue to elite state league clubs

“Importantly, State League clubs will receive greater recognition for the work they do,” Buckley said.

“These outcomes will also support the development of the Hyundai A-League as an even higher standard of young players emerge from the states to grow the entertainment appeal of the competition by improving the quality of play on the pitch.”

“Like other important initiatives including Small Sided Football, the National Curriculum and National Football Development Plan, I am certain we will look back upon the National Competition Review as having been fundamental to achieving our vision of Australia becoming one of the leading football nations in the world.”

Named in Socceroos coach Holger Osieck’s 26-man squad for the friendly against Denmark and the World Cup qualifiers against Oman and Japan early next month, the emerging Aston Viilla ace rolled his ankle in the final game of the Premier League season against Norwich.

It’s a blow for Osieck who was waiting with baited breath to have an up close and personal look at the 23-year-old who made 20 appearances for Villa in a breakthrough season under sacked coach Alex McLeish.

And it’s the second time in six months Herd’s hopes of a debut for his country at senior level have been all but dashed after he was ruled out of the November’s World Cup qualifiers against Thailand and Oman, again with an ankle injury sustained playing for his club.

Herd, who broke through for Villa as a right back before his all-action game was harnessed in a deep lying midfield role, is back at his family home in Perth following the injury and all indications are he will not be risked by Osieck.

It’s a letdown for Socceroos fans who were eagerly anticipating seeing how the versatile rookie, who signed an upgraded four-year deal at Villa Park in December, would be utilised by his country.

The former Australian under-20 international, who scored his first Premier league goal in the 1-1 draw against Liverpool last month, must be cursing his luck.

He was rubbed out with injury playing against Norwich in November and it was against the Canaries again last week that he suffered another ankle knock as Villa finished a disappointing season by crashing 2-0.

Wanted by Scotland, the birth place of father Willie, a former professional player himself, Herd pledged his allegiance to Australia last year, insisting: “Australia is where I grew up and learned my football and it’s the country I want to play for.”

It’s understood that if, as expected, Herd pulls out Osieck will not make any further additions to a squad he must trim to 23 for the clash against Denmark (3 June AEST) and the qualifiers against Oman in Muscat (8 June AEST) and Japan in Brisbane (12 June AEST).

The foundation reaffirms its commitment to build and maintain a lasting presence in the communities it visits as part of its programs, after its maiden trip to Wentworth last September.

The weekend will again feature a coaching clinic for children along with a coach's workshop, aimed at educating prospective coaches within the community.

"Returning to Wentworth is important to us. Our aim is to create new opportunities and the chance for local kids to play football on a regular basis,” JWFF CEO Lisa Middlebrook said.

"On this visit we will be looking to establish new teams in the Wentworth Dareton area. This will create new sporting opportunities that many children in remote and rural Australia often do not have."

JWFF community partner Coerver Coaching, as always, will be running the clinics and will be sharing its experience with the Wentworth locals.

"It is great to be returning to work with the players, coaches, parents and teachers of Wentworth." Coerver Coaching Asia Pacific Vice president Jason Lancsar said.

Local organisation Mallee Family Care will be assisting in community engagement and played a major part in getting the community behind the last JWFF camp in the area.

"Mallee Family Care is delighted to again partner with the Johnny Warren Football Foundation, Coerver Coaching and the local communities in the Shire of Wentworth to support another coaching weekend here in Wentworth," Florence Davidson of Mallee Family Care said.

Reagan Milstein Foundation will provide boots for the communities most underprivileged children with Middlebrook thrilled to have a new organisation on board.

The former Aston Villa and Juventus defender, who will join Sweden’s Euro 2012 squad once his club commitments are concluded this weekend, says Saturday night's glamour friendly against Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium will act as perfect preparation for the championships that kick off on June 10.

Sweden is in a daunting group with its first game against co-host Ukraine followed by meetings with heavyweights France and England.

"I've never been to Australia before either as a player or even just as a tourist and I see the game against Melbourne as a great way to tune up for the Euros," former Sweden skipper Mellberg, who spent eight seasons at Villa Park, told The World Game.

"Of course there is the risk of injury and the Swedish coaching staff didn't really want me to come because of that but the club insisted all its internationals made the journey to Australia and we're more than happy to do so.

"We are not coming on a holiday or an end of season party, nothing could be further from the truth. There is pride at stake in these games and an obligation to the people who pay money to watch us play.

"This is serious business for us especially with the opening game against Ukraine so close and I think this is the best way to be match sharp for that.

"I don’t know too much about Melbourne Victory but I’ve been told they’re a club which has had a lot of success and they will want to do well against us. I think the match will have a competitive edge to it but will also be open and will entertain the fans.

"You can see by the way the Australian national team plays they take every game very seriously. They have real quality now and I think Melbourne will typify that sort of approach." A part of three European championship campaigns for his country (2000, 2004, and 2008) and two FIFA World Cups (2002 and 2006), Mellberg, 34, remains a potent presence for club and country with 112 international caps to go with over 400 games of top flight club football at AIK Stockholm, Racing Santander, Villa, Juventus and now Olympiacos.

He admits Sweden will be cast as outside an to progress to the knockout stage of Euro 2012, adding: "We must get something out of our opening game against Ukraine who as the co-host will be fired up and backed to the hilt by their fans.

"If we don’t pick up a point at least there it’s going to be very difficult against class opposition like France and England.

"But I’ve been at a few of these big tournaments now and I’ve learned that the margins between success and failure are very slim.

"We know it’s an incredibly difficult group but as a team we will back ourselves to do well against anybody because we are very durable and have some tough, experienced players."

It's understood Popovic signed after final talks with Football Federation Australia officials on Wednesday, putting the first major block in place as the team prepares to enter the competition in 2012-2013.

The appointment, believed to be on a four-year deal, will be announced at a media conference at 1200 (AEST) on Thursday.

The name, colours and home ground of the new team are also expected to be announced.

The announcement comes after Popovic quit his post and was formally released as assistant coach of Crystal Palace in England and he knocked back an offer from Sydney FC this week.

Sydney installed Ian Crook as its coach on Monday.

After assistant coaching roles with Sydney and Crystal Palace, Popovic is set for his first head coaching job.

Popovic will be charged with the considerable task of building the club's squad from scratch and will turn his immediate focus to player recruitment.

Adelaide's former A-League player of the year Marcos Flores, Carlos Hernandez, Issey Nakajima-Farran, Tarek Elrich, Kasey Wehrman, Ali Abbas, Michael Thwaite, Adam Griffiths and Ante Covic are among players to have been linked with the club.

Popovic will also be able to draw on his coaching and playing experiences playing in England, Asia and the Middle East in recruiting a squad.

Sydney-born Popovic started his playing career with Sydney United before spells with Japan's Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Crystal Palace, Qatar's Al Arabi and Sydney.

He was capped 59 times for Australia in 12 years and was part of the Socceroos squad at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

The new franchise will likely wait to announce a team name with a series of public forums settling on Athletic, Wanderers, Strikers, Wolves and Rangers as the leading contenders with the team colours tipped to be red, black and white.

The awards will be presented at a function in Brisbane on Wednesday 13 June in conjunction with the Football Media Association (FMA).

The PFA awards to be presented are:

:: PFA Footballer of the Year, Previously won by Tim Cahill (2009), Mark Schwarzer (2010) and Matt McKay (2011);

Nominees
Besart Berisha, Brisbane Roar (Australia)
Thomas Broich, Brisbane Roar (Australia)
Alex Brosque, Shimizu S-Pulse (Japan)
Adam Federici, Reading FC (England)
Brett Holman, AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands)
Josh Kennedy, Nagoya Grampus (Japan)
Luke Wilkshire, Dinamo Moscow (Russia)
Patrick Zwaanswijk, Central Coast Mariners (Australia)

:: PFA Harry Kewell Medal for Australia's best male player under the age of 23, previously won by Nikita Rukavytsya (2009), Mitch Langerak (2010) and Robbie Kruse (2011);

Nominees
Aziz Behich, Melbourne Heart (Australia)
James Brown, Gold Coast United (Australia)
Luke Devere, Gyeongnam (Korea)
Mate Dugandzic, Melbourne Heart (Australia)
Ryan McGowan, Heart of Midlothian (Scotland)
Mitch Nichols, Brisbane Roar (Australia)
Matt Ryan, Central Coast Mariners (Australia)
Rhys Williams, Middlesbrough FC (England)

The men's nominees are being voted on by the more than 300 professional footballers playing in the A-League and in other leagues around the world.

:: PFA Women's Footballer of the Year, won by Servet Uzunlar in 2010 and Elise Kellond-Knight in 2011.

Nominees
Caitlin Foord, Sydney FC (Australia)
Elise Kellond-Knight, Brisbane Roar (Australia)/Fortuna Hjorring (Denmark)
Sally Shipard, Canberra United (Australia)/ Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
Lydia Williams, Canberra United (Australia)/ Pitea IF Dam (Sweden)

The PFA Women’s Footballer of the Year Award will be voted for by the Matildas.

"Anywhere in the world, the most coveted individual honour a player can receive is the one voted on by his or her peers," PFA President and Melbourne Heart defender Simon Colosimo said.

"With more and more players having the opportunity to earn their living from football, the PFA Footballer of the Year Awards are more competitive than ever." The PFA’s highest honour, the PFA Alex Tobin Medal, will also be presented to a current or former professional who has demonstrated leadership, achievement as a player, service and dedication to the game and commitment to the wellbeing of fellow professionals.

The four previous recipients of the award are:– the late Johnny Warren, Joe Marston, Craig Johnston and Mark Viduka.

The FMA will also be presenting the winners of its International Footballer of the Year (men and women) at the awards, the evening after Australia takes on Japan in a FIFA 2014 World Cup qualifier.

Crystal Palace co-chairman Steve Parish confirmed to local newspaper The South London Press that the ex-Australia defender has decided to leave the club, where he is the assistant coach, to head up the new Sydney team.

"I've had a conversation with him last night and they have offered him a five-year deal to go," Parish said.

"We're trying to sort out the details."

A five-year deal would be the longest offered to a coach in the A-League.

Football Federation Australia will hold a press conference at noon on Thursday confirming Popovic's appointment at western Sydney with former Melbourne Heart assistant Ante Milicic also likely to be confirmed as deputy coach at the new club.

The team's name, colours and home ground are also expected to be announced.

Popovic, who was seen talking to A-League boss Lyall Gorman at The Star on Wednesday, was reportedly also courted by Sydney FC, which yesterday promoted its youth league coach Ian Crook to the head coaching role.

The western Sydney franchise is also set to announce a team name with a series of public forums settling on Athletic, Wanderers, Strikers, Wolves and Rangers as the leading contenders with the team colours tipped to be red, black and white.

Despite that, The World Game can reveal the nickname "Pride" is a preferred option for FFA, which 'Wanderers' also mentioned. Fans also stated United as a favourite at some of the forums, but that also doesn't appear to have made the short list.

The draw was conducted in Dubai, which will be the host city for the tournament.

Australia was seeded in Pot 1 as the third-ranked team in the competition along with host nation UAE, DPR Korea and Korea Republic after results in the 2010 edition of the championship were considered.

Head coach Paul Okon knows that it will be a tough challenge to get through the group phase but is confident his players are up to the task.

"It’s definitely a tough draw but then again there are no easy games in international football at this level,” Okon said.

"We’ll have to be at our best to get through to the knockout stage and with the players that we have at our disposal this is an achievable goal.

"Our first training camp together will be early next month and with the draw now known we can all focus on the task at hand.”

The four semi-finalists will also qualify automatically for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Turkey from 21 June to 13 July 2013.

AFC Under-19 Championship 2012 Iran

Knight is optimistic about his team's chances at the tournament that also serves as the qualification tournament for the FIFA Futsal World Cup, which will be held in Thailand later this year.

"I am extremely pleased with the final selection of players for the Championship. All the players in the extended squad worked very hard over the last few weeks and made the selection process a very difficult one," Knight said.

"Our first match against Qatar is going to be crucial in the overall context of the tournament and in terms of giving ourselves the best chance to progress to the next round.

"As a group we have spoken about our common goal of qualifying for the World Cup and all the players have been working overtime in the past few months to make that goal a reality."

The Futsalroos have been drawn in Group C for the AFC Futsal Championship 2012 and will play Qatar at the Al-Shabab Stadium on 25 May, followed by Korea Republic the next day with the final group match against IR Iran at the Al Wasl Stadium on 27 May.

The Futsalroos will prepare for the AFC Futsal Championship 2012 with two international friendly matches against Thailand on 18 and 20 May in Suphaburi, Thailand before travelling to the UAE.

The top four teams from the AFC Futsal Championship will qualify for FIFA Futsal World Cup Thailand 2012, which will be held from 1-18 November.

Futsalroos squad for AFC Futsal Championship 2012 UAE is:
Jarrod Basger (NSW)
Fernando De Moraes (VIC)
Daniel Fogarty (NSW)
Gregory Giovenali (NSW)
Andres Gomez (NSW)
Renagi Ingram (QLD)
Simon Keith (NSW)
Dean Lockhart (NSW)
Danny Ngaluafe (QLD)
Gavin O'Brien (gk) (NSW)
Tobias Seeto (NSW)
Peter Spathis (gk) (NSW)
Lachlan Wright (NSW)
Christopher Zeballos (NSW)

Five Socceroos and five Matildas have been named by the FMA as contenders for the top award, voted for by members of the football media organisation.

The award is given for the outstanding player at an international level. In 2011-12, the voting period includes the Women's World Cup and the Olympic qualifiers for the Matildas and eight matches from August to February for the Socceroos.

The contenders are Alex Brosque, Brett Holman, Josh Kennedy, Lucas Neill and Luke Wilkshire for the Socceroos; and Caitlin Foord, Elise Kellond-Knight, Kyah Simon, Emily Van Egmond and Lydia Williams for the Matildas.

The two winners will be announced at the combined Professional Footballers Association (PFA) / FMA function to be held in Brisbane on 13th June after the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Japan.

Previous winners have been Tim Cahill (2009), Mark Schwarzer (2010) and Brett Holman (2011). It is the first year of the Women's award.

The Japan match will be played at the National Stadium as world champion Japan finalises its 2012 Olympic Games preparations.

The Matildas, reigning Asian Cup champions, failed to qualify for the London Games.

"I can't wait to get back out playing again for the Matildas," 2011 AFC Young Player of the Year, Caitlin Foord said.

"Japan are such an amazing team, it will be a real test for us and it will be great to play the World Champions in Tokyo.

The Matildas will take on New Zealand’s Football Ferns at WIN Stadium in Wollongong on 24 and 27 June.

"I scored my first international goal on debut against New Zealand last year so I'm looking forward to playing them again and hopefully getting another one," Foord said.

Matildas coach Sermanni will use two vastly different teams for the trio of games with a host of the teams bigger names playing abroad.

Kyah Simon and Tameka Butt (both Boston Breakers), Lisa De Vanna (Linköping FC), Aivi Luik and Michelle Heyman (both Brøndby IF), Sally Shipard (Bayer Leverkusen), Emily van Egmond (Western New York Flash), Servet Uzunlar (Pali Blues) and Collette McCallum and Laura Alleway (Lincoln Ladies) won't be used for the games against New Zealand.

"With a huge number of our girls playing overseas the matches against New Zealand will give a lot of the younger girls a chance to play as well as see the return of Kate Gill who is in full training now following her knee injury," Sermanni said.

"The W-League this year again produced some excellent players and it will be very interesting to see who pushes their way into selection for the New Zealand matches.

"The team that will travel to Japan will be vastly different and will come in from their respective teams internationally along with some of the locally based girls."

The Asian Cup finals from January 9 to 31 that year will go head-to-head with the Australian Open tennis, a planned Test cricket series against India, and the domestic Twenty20 competition.

Australia is also set to host the 2015 cricket World Cup after the Asian Cup finishes - perhaps starting as soon as a fortnight after the final.

While Socceroos matches are virtually guaranteed to sell out, other group games in the 16-nation tournament face intense competition to attract fans and interest.

But Asian Cup local organising committee chief executive Michael Brown is confident the tournament to be held in Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland and Canberra can cut through early 2015's crowded sporting landscape.

"It's a busy year. We've got a T20, we've got a cricket World Cup, but the example I use is the (Sydney) Olympics - we all went, I can't remember what I saw, but I had a great time," Brown said.

"Mobilising communities to come for the event, rather than the game ... people will go if there's an experience to be had.

"There are people who are passionate football supporters, we've got to appeal to them.

"But there are those who will come because it's an event."

The Socceroos will be in one of four groups in the 16-team finals tournament, and will play one group match each in Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland.

The tournament's opening match will be held in Melbourne, with the semi-finals and final to be played in Sydney.

Stadium deals are still being finalised.

In Sydney, ANZ Stadium, Allianz Stadium and Parramatta Stadium are being considered; Melbourne matches could be played at Etihad Stadium or AAMI Park, while Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Skilled Park at the Gold Coast and Canberra Stadium are all options.

Brown believes the tournament will bring unprecedented business opportunities for Australia, with two of our four biggest trading partners - Japan and South Korea - already guaranteed a place.

Australia's biggest trading partner, China, would appear a safe bet to qualify through the group stages.

Selling games between lower-profile Asian nations is perhaps the committee's biggest challenge - Brown saying being "creative" is the way forward.

He has earmarked tapping into Australia's overseas-born communities of participating nations, and ideas such as gold coin donations for entry to some matches, as ways to build support.

Organisers say more than 45,000 international visitors are expected for the tournament.

The 2012 F-League kicks off with Series 1 in Melbourne on 9-10 June.

Heart will be joined by Dural Warriors, Parramatta Blues, East Coast Heat FC and holder Maccabi Hakoah which will represent NSW while ACT will have Boomerangs FS.

A Victorian contingent of St Albans Strikers, VIC Vipers Futsal Club and Heart will ensure Victorian futsal will have a strong presence in 2012.

Matches will be played in a series format whereby all eight clubs will play three games.

The competition will be played under full FIFA International Laws of the Game.

Series match days will also be played in NSW and ACT.

The National Competition Review will look at the way state competitions are run and structured, establish more all-round consistency so they can underpin the A-League more effectively and support the player talent pathway established by FFA.

"In the past we have been criticised for ignoring the rich football history of this country," an FFA spokesman said.

"We have been told that we ignored all these clubs and leagues that for 50 years or more have been producing excellent talent.

"Now for the first time ever we are officially recognising them as part of the pathway.

"You could call it a shift but it's a fundamental first step from our part."

The spokesman stressed that a mooted 'B-League', involving promotion and relegation, is still a pipe dream.

"We have not done this to set up another competition with the prospect of having promotion and relegation," the spokesman said.

"There are many things that need to happen before we get to that point.

"This is all about strengthening the second tier of Australian football, which means the top league in each state.

"There will be no nationwide competition and certainly no second A-League.

"The whole purpose of the exercise is to give guidance to the clubs as to what a higher level of youth development looks like and what sort of coaching qualifications should be in place.

"The second tier of football in this country has to have a focus on talent development and all this is about taking steps to speed that up."

FFA's claim was supported by Blacktown City chief Ken Schembri, whose team competes in the NSW Premier League.

"If it was going to happen you'd think we would know about it, wouldn’t you?" Schembri said.

"I don't think it will ever happen for a lot of reasons. For one thing, the travel costs would be too much.

"The reality is the clubs just can’t afford it. The A-League itself has enough issues let alone adding a second tier.

"FFA representatives are working with us looking at the structure of the NSW Premier League but nothing has been mentioned at all about a national competition comprised of state league clubs.

"Sure, there is National Competition Review going on and everybody is supposed to have an underpinning program to the A-League.

"But it's not called a 'B-League' or anything like that and there is no structure in place for teams from the various states to play each other.

"It's nothing more than the various Premier Leagues around the country being restructured.

"The idea sounds half-baked and is a bit of red herring."

A-League boss Lyall Gorman said meetings with fans throughout the western Sydney region where the club will be based indicated strong feelings on key decisions about the new franchise.

Among the strongest is the need to have West Sydney or Western Sydney as part of the name, as well as having one fixed home ground rather than spreading games around the area.

But Gorman said a big-name marquee player was proving a less important consideration for fans than securing talent with ties to the western Sydney region.

In other club developments, Gorman said

:: It is certain the club will be in place for the upcoming season;
:: A coach and chief executive will be confirmed within "the next couple of weeks";
:: Player signings won't begin until a coach is secured; and
:: A-League and Football Federation Australia officials have been thrilled both with the response and ideas from would-be fans of the new club.

Gorman said opinion from those at the fan forums - a roadshow which ends in Bankstown on Thursday - was that they wanted a club connected with participants at the grassroots rather than to be dazzled by big-name signings.

Gorman, who helped establish Central Coast Mariners before taking on the A-League role, did so without an initial big-name player.

"Bringing home players whose pathway's been through western Sydney, bringing home coaches who've done that, staff who are really connected with the western part of Sydney," Gorman said.

"The feeling's been far more about that than bringing home big-name marquee players who don't fit the ... shape this club is clearly taking."

Local products Tony Popovic and Ante Milicic have been linked with coaching the new club and Gorman admits a shortlist is in place.

FFA has promised fans a major say in all aspects of starting up the club, including name, jersey colours and playing style.

Coming through loud and clear is the need for the region to be branded prominently in the name.

"It isn't across the line, but the strong feeling is a name should have west or western Sydney in it," Gorman said.

"There's a strong message coming that way."

With Newcastle Jets salvaged from death's door to ensure a 10-team competition for next season, Gorman has guaranteed the new Sydney club will kick off in October despite only seven months' lead-in time.

"100 per cent lock-in, 100 per cent commitment, 100 per cent clarity that it will be," Gorman said.

"There's a lot to do, but we're working incredibly hard.

"There's a lot of excitement about the project and being able to hand over to the people of west Sydney a club that they'll connect with and excite them, and they'll want to be a part of."

O’Neill, 18, and Makeche, 20, both made their debuts in the lead-up to the club's recent finals campaign and are promoted from Glory's youth team set-up.

"Absolutely delighted," O'Neill said.

"To go into last season as a youth team player and then get my debut in the starting line-up for the senior squad was incredible."

O'Neill played three games in total for the season and got a taste of finals football when he was a late substitute against Melbourne Heart.

A central midfielder, O'Neill said the chance to now train full-time alongside former internationals Jacob Burns and Liam Miller will play a big role in his development as a player.

Born in Zambia, Makeche is also coming off a stellar season with the Perth Glory youth side. Makeche scored eight goals in his first year with the team and is similarly looking forward to the next challenge.

"Firstly, I am really proud to sign for Perth Glory," Makeche said.

"To play football with this club means a lot to me and I’m keen to do my best.

"We have great strikers at Perth Glory with Shane Smeltz and Billy Mehmet and I’m excited by the challenges ahead."

Perth Glory coach Ian Ferguson said he was delighted to add more young talent to his squad.

"Both Brandon and Ndumba have been excellent and took their chance at the end of the season," he said.

"Getting some young local talent into the squad was always a priority and we are happy to have both players at Perth Glory."

The signatures of O'Neill and Makeche come after the club added 19 year-old Chris Harold and 21 year-old Adrian Zahra earlier in the week.

Sherman, who has been working with FFA as a technical consultant since 2008, will be predominately responsible for the delivery of the B & C Coaching License Courses and Instructor training as well as providing support for the Pro-Diploma & A-License Coaching Courses.

FFA Technical Director, Han Berger, said Sherman’s appointment will strengthen FFA’s Coach Education program.

“To have someone of Rob’s standing in the international football community within our organization is a major coup for football in Australia”, Berger said.

“Our FFA Strategic Plan outlines a commitment to developing a larger number of professional Australian coaches by means of a world-class Advanced Education Department and Rob will be a key figure in that process.

“We look forward to working closely with Rob as we enter the next stage of coach education in Australia,” concluded Berger.

Sherman expressed his excitement about joining FFA full-time.

"I’m proud to have been involved with the upgrading of FFA’s Advanced Coaching Courses, and I believe they are now as good as any I have seen or worked on," Sherman said.

"‘I’m really excited to come on-board as we take Advanced Coach Education to an even higher level.”

Born in Wales, Sherman played professionally for Cardiff City, Swansea City and Hull City.

He held coaching appointments as the Wales National U-16 Coach, working with players such as Gareth Bale and Technical Programs Manager of the Football Association of Wales. More recently, Sherman held the position of High Performance Manager with Football New Zealand.

Over the past four years, Sherman has presented and co-presented on FFA’s A and B License courses, and the Professional Diploma.

Sherman’s appointment is part of a re-structure of the Coach Education program within FFA’s Technical Department. Current National Coach Education Manager Kelly Cross will adopt the new title of Head of Coach Education.

Cross, who has been with FFA since early 2006, is focused on progress.

“Coach Education in Australia has been totally transformed in the last five years,” he said.

“The introduction of the two-pathway system and the recognition by AFC of our Advanced Coaching Courses, have led to a quantum leap forward.

"I am really pleased to see the quality and enthusiasm of the coaches graduating from these courses.’

"Rob’s appointment will allow us to give greater support to advanced coaches and course instructors, and extend our reach across the country more effectively.”

As Head of Coach Education, Cross will report directly to FFA National Technical Director, Han Berger.

The 36-year-old produced seven clean sheets in 26 appearances during the season to help him win the award - voted on by the club's coaching staff - ahead of Eli Babalj, Mate Dugandzic, Fred and Michael Marrone.

Bolton was honoured at a club function in Melbourne on Thursday night, with outgoing coach John van't Schip paying tribute to the keeper's consistency that played a big part in Heart's sixth-place finish and qualification for the finals.

"Clint's professionalism and thorough approach to match day preparation and training has allowed him to perform at an elite level for an incredibly long time," van't Schip said.

"Throughout the season, Clint was called upon time and time again to produce key saves and guide our defence, which is among the key reasons we were able to qualify for the finals series."

Bolton and Fred were named co-winners of the Supporters' Player of the Year and Eli Babalj recipient of the John Aloisi Golden Boot for leading goal-scorer.

The Clubman Award, which honours the player who has best embodied the spirit, character and values of the club, both on and off the field was awarded to Aziz Behich.

Necevski joined three-time winner Alex Brosque, Clint Bolton and Robbie Middleby in taking out the award, voted on by all members of the Sydney FC squad.

The 32-year-old spent most of the season on the bench behind Liam Reddy but made the most of his opportunity when handed a starting role for the last seven matches of the season.

His form played a big part in Sydney FC's run into the A-League finals, before the side was eliminated by Wellington Phoenix.

Sydney FC captain Terry McFlynn took out the Vitezslav Lavicka Clubman of the Year Award for his work in the community and leadership in helping the football department embrace the significant increase in the club's community program.

Playmaker Nick Carle was named fans' player of the year, teenage midfielder Hagi Gligor won the National Youth League player of the year while Teresa Polias took out the club's W-League player of the year.

The tournament, hosted by the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine and running from May 1-10, is being staged prior to the 2012 London Paralympic Games as a preparatory event for many of the teams that have qualified for the Games.

The Pararoos side, fresh from its recent second placing at the AFC Dream Asia tournament in Abu Dhabi, will line-up in Group B with the Netherlands, Brazil, and host nation Ukraine, whilst Russia, Iran, USA and Argentina will form Group A.

Unfortunately, due to personal commitments, Paul Brown is unable to travel to the Ukraine for the tournament, but has every confidence that his long-time assistant coach, Kai Lammert, will be capable of stepping into the breach to coach the Pararoos at the tournament.

“Like the squad we took to Abu Dhabi, this is a young side that we have high hopes for in the future,” said Brown

“This tournament will be a great opportunity for the players to test themselves against teams that have qualified for the Paralympics and the experience will provide them with the knowledge of what standard is required to qualify and compete at 2016 Paralympics in Brazil.

“Unfortunately I am unable to travel on this occasion, but I am confident that Kai and David [Cantoni] will be able to manage the team,” concluded Brown.

The Pararoos team is funded by the Australian Paralympic Committee and supported by Football Federation Australia.

Pararoos Squad:
Chris Pyne (NSW) – Captain
Ben Atkins (NSW) – Vice Captain
Christopher Barty (WA)
Robbie Christie (QLD)
Michael Debenham (WA)
Jared Eiby (QLD)
Brett Fairhall (NSW)
Scott Kennedy(QLD)
Ryan Kinner (SA)
Connor Marsh (NSW)
Joshua Seaman (SA)
James Turner (NSW)
Jack Williams (NSW)

The Italian giant was expected to play a friendly match against Sydney FC or an A-League selection at ANZ Stadium on Sunday, 27 May.

But the match was called off by promoters in Australia on Wednesday because Serie A leader Juventus was unable to guarantee the appearance of Del Piero, whose contract with the Bianconeri expires at the end of the current European season, and that of other stars.

Juventus is believed to be unsure of Del Piero's intentions once his contract is up and he might end up playing Major League Soccer in America at the end of the Italian season which could land the club a league and cup double.

The match in Sydney was supposed to be Del Piero's last game in a stellar 20-year career with Juventus.

However, sources close to the negotiations to bring Juve to Sydney have not lost hope of having the hugely popular club which is to Serie A what Manchester United is to the Premier League play in Australia.

Plans are ahead to bring Juve down under later in the year during a FIFA window.

Harmon held senior positions on the organising committees for the 2003 and 2011 Rugby World Cups.

Harmon will answer to organising committee CEO Michael Brown.

The organising committee board will meet for the first time in the coming weeks.

The 16-nation Asian Cup will be held in January 2015 with matches in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and the ACT.

Australia was runner-up in the 2011 tournament to Japan in Qatar.

The Socceroo appeared briefly in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday morning where the matter was dropped.

The club released information on Tuesday that Thompson was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute with his wife Emily.

Melbourne Victory said no further action is being taken over the incident.

Thompson has played 34 times for Australia and is the Melbourne Victory goals record holder.

Speaking at the appointment of Aurelio Vidmar (Under-22s) and Paul Okon (Young Socceroos) as coaches of Australia's youth sides today, Berger said the nation's youth set-up had reached a critical stage and he was growing impatient at the lack of progress.

While he believes Australia's youth sides have been performing well at international level, despite the Under-23s' failure to qualify for the Olympics, Berger feels the right message is yet to filter through to junior coaches on the best way forward.

The Dutchman is frustrated with what he perceives to be an emphasis at junior level on developing brilliant athletes, not skilful footballers.

"I think we have a problem … and that's even maybe underestimating it," Berger said.

"Especially concerning special players, match-winning players that can make a difference.

"We need to pay a lot of attention to the next generations. We need to try and identify, nurture and develop the proper type of players.

"I'm looking at [the current] Olyroos, which players are ready to step up to Socceroos?

"There were quite big expectations on [the] next generation of players but there seems to be some stagnation."

Berger said he was becoming impatient with the right message still not getting through, and while he believes Australia can make things right, he knows it is going to take time.

"If [you] look at out-and-out football countries around the world, it took Germany 10 years to make changes to be at where they are now," he said.

"It's a long-term process, there's no quick fix for those type of things.

"If you look at the match-winning players, the attackers of the next generation, we have a lot of work to do."

Berger hopes the appointment of Okon, together with Vidmar's continued work, will see the emphasis change towards producing more technically gifted players.

"I'm not saying results and winning are not important, but there has to be proper balance, especially in early stages of youth development. We have to teach young kids the skills and tools to be successful and win in the proper way," Berger said.

"It's a simple given fact that the most successful teams have the best players, not the biggest or the fittest players.

"If Australia wants to make a step up on the world stage, go to a higher level than around the 20 position, we need to have those types of players.

"And I simply don't see enough of those young Australian players playing in A-League or as starters in Europe. That is my warning. That is everything that drives what I'm trying to do."

Vidmar will lead his team in June qualifying for the in the inaugural AFC U-22 Championships in January 2014. The second edition of the biennial tournament 2016 will serve as qualification for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

Okon will take charge of the Young Socceroos ahead of the AFC U-19 Championships in United Arab Emirates in November, which doubles as qualifying for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.

Okon will take up a role as Vidmar’s assistant for the Australian U-22 Men’s National team - a role he held for the recent 2012 London Olympic Games qualifiers.

Football Federation Australia National Technical Director, Han Berger, praised the appointment of both former Australia stars, who are completing their Pro Licence.

“We have been intent on not only developing a growing pool of talented players, but also the pool of talented coaches,” Berger said. “It’s very satisfying to see Paul and Aurelio taking responsibility for our national teams.”

“The group of players who will be involved in the Qantas Young Socceroos are players born in 1993 or later.

“These players will graduate from the Qantas Young Socceroos of 2012 and 2013, to the Qantas Australian U-22’s of 2014 and 2015, and on to the 2016 Olympic Games.

“So there is a consistent pathway there for them.

“We will be selecting this Qantas Young Socceroos group to play in the AFC U-22 Qualification Tournament which will be held in Indonesia in June /July of this year.

“Even though they will be two years below the Under 22 age group at that time, we think this group of players will be competitive, and the experience will be invaluable for the AFC U-19 Championships which they will compete in November.

“Being a qualification tournament for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, this is a major priority for us.

“This sequence of events gives us the opportunity to develop this group of players from June 2012 through until the Olympic Games of 2016 and beyond.

“They are a talented group and it is an exceptional opportunity to develop this generation,” concluded Berger.

Okon's coaching ascent has been long predicted following his distinguished playing career.

He skippered the Socceroos 24 times and played in Italy's Serie A and England's Premier League under great coaches including Sven-Goran Eriksson and Giovanni Trapattoni.

Ex-Gold Coast assistant coach Okon is expected to complete his Pro Licence - the highest available coaching qualification - later this year.

He has spent time at Lazio, Arsenal, Belgium's Club Brugge and Dutch club De Graafschap over the past 12 months developing his coaching.

One of the most cultured footballers ever produced here, Okon's philosophy remains true to his playing style.

"I'd be a hypocrite if I asked the players not to try and play football, and not do it in a nice way," Okon said.

"Most of the time players when they go into coaching, their teams mirror the way they played the game. Hopefully that will be the same for me.

"It'll be based on possession, being proactive, and imposing themselves on the opposing team."

Schwab, who was instrumental in leading the players' union that has considerably advanced the cause of Australia's footballers, has decided to step aside in order to concentrate on his other job of FIFPro Asia chairman and on establishing his own legal practice.

”We need to plan the transition but the PFA is in a very strong position,” Schwab said.

”My successor won't have to start from scratch. He will come into an organisation which has the trust and confidence of the players and which commands respect in the industry, not just in Australia but around the world.

”When the PFA was set up almost 20 years ago, the minutes of that first meeting said that the union was set up to promote and protect the players and the game.

”We still have those two objectives and we still fight vigorously for them.

”We have always understood that the game has to be in a good position so as to protect the players and vice-versa. That won't change.”

Schwab's resignation comes at a difficult time in the evolution of the modern Australian game at club and national level.

PFA, with Schwab as its leader, has worked tirelessly behind the scenes for many years to protect the status of Australian footballers and the domestic clubs they play for.

Schwab dismissed suggestions that his resignation would rob the organisation of some of its political muscle.

”It's not about me. The PFA's strength comes from its 400 members and I'm simply their spokesperson,” Schwab said.

”My successor will be able to step into an organisation that has very strong membership support and a very dedicated professional staff.

”So I'm confident that the PFA's next chief executive will continue to strongly represent the players and be an advocate for the game.

”And I will continue to support that person. I'm not quitting the PFA but stepping aside as chief executive.

”But that won't happen till I have my successor in place towards the end of June.

”Being chairman of the Asian players' union is very demanding and I was finding it very hard to balance that job with my responsibilities of the PFA.

”I am also trying to develop my own legal advisory practice specialising in industrial relations and team sports in particular.

”I have dedicated many years of my life to the PFA which has been the central part of my professional pursuit for much of that time.”

Schwab said that there are still several issues that irk PFA and need to be resolved.

”We still have major concerns about the security of player contracts, for example,” he said.

”I will still be leading the negotiations for the next collective bargaining agreement.”

”We need to make sure that we achieve economic security for FFA, the clubs and the players.

”We've come a long way but there is still more work to be done.”

Schwab, who has been a key figure in a number of high-profile industrial dispute cases between players and Football Federation Australia (FFA) will take on a role as an independent sports lawyer, industrial adviser and consultant.

PFA will engage the services of Schwab through its negotiations with FFA over its next collective bargaining agreement.

The 43-year-old previously stepped down from the union leadership in 2003, when John O'Neill was preferred as FFA chief and Matt Carroll was given the nod as the governing body's inaugural A-League chief.

Schwab, who returned to PFA in 2006, told The Age his relationship with FFA chairman Frank Lowy did not have a bearing on his resignation.

"My relationship with the FFA has not played any part in this decision," Schwab said. "We have had an effective relationship with the FFA and have negotiated A-League, Socceroos and Matildas CBAs.

"We have disagreed on strategic matters and we are obviously concerned about the matter of contract security.

"This is a job that I love, but I have reluctantly stepped down because I want to be able to devote more time to developing the players' voice through Asia, where there are so many fundamental challenges right now."

Schwab founded PFA in 1993 with former Australia stars Kimon Taliadoros, John Kosmina, Greg Brown and Oscar Crino.

The match, that has the potential to draw a crowd of 50,000 fans, would be played at ANZ Stadium on Sunday, 27 May, at 3pm.

Juventus, which is unbeaten in Italy's Serie A and bidding for a league and cup double, is prepared to visit Australia for a one-off match that will serve as the swansong for its popular captain and striker Del Piero, who was a member of Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning squad.

Del Piero, who has played more than 500 competitive matches for the 'Bianconeri', will retire at the end of the current season after a stellar 21-year professional career.

Promoter Lou Sticca, who was responsible for Los Angeles Galaxy's three visits to Australia in 2007, 2010 and 2011, has earmarked Sydney's ANZ Stadium, Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium and Melbourne's AAMI Park for the match.

But sources close to the negotiations involving the promoter, the stadium, Sydney FC and Football Federation Australia have confirmed that the 2000 Olympic venue is the “logical choice” to host the match because of its greater capacity which currently stands at 83,000.

The Olympic stadium drew a crowd of 80,295 for Sydney FC's game against Galaxy in November 2007 that featured England super star David Beckham and United States hero Landon Donovan.

Next month's high-profile match comes at the right time for Australian club football.

As FFA prepares to launch a team from western Sydney into the A-League, the visit of such a famous and decorated club as Juve would be expected to get the pulses racing among the vast community of football lovers that has been starved of top class football for many years.

Juve has promised to bring its best available team that should comprise Fabio Grosso, Milos Krasic, Mirko Vucinic and Fabio Quagliarella, apart from veteran Del Piero.

Italy internationals Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio are expected to be picked in the Azzurri squad for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, starting on 8 June, and would not make the trip to Australia.

Juventus holds a one-point lead over bitter rival AC Milan with six rounds to go in Serie A and will face Napoli in the Italian Cup final in Rome on 21 May (AET) before making the trip down under.

Juve will spend a few days training at Marconi Stadium in Sydney's west before the match at ANZ Stadium.

Kosmina dismissed concerns for the future of football but called for the A-League to consolidate after losing the Gold Coast United club and Nathan Tinkler returning his ownership licence of Newcastle Jets.

"Nathan Tinkler might find out that you don't dirty your own nest - which is what he has done," Kosmina said.

"It's great for him to be a proud Novacastrian but you back it up with actions, not just talk about it.

"And he has certainly really done the wrong thing by the local football community."

Kosmina said football was healthy in Australia despite the current controversies.

"A lot of the negativity comes from the rival codes," he said.

"And people that generally throw knives at other people feel threatened by those people.

"And I'd say certainly in this case, the AFL never miss a chance to have a dig - the NRL are probably a bit more subtle about it.

"... And I'll be blunt - you guys in the media probably jump on the bandwagon of the other sports because they have got a bit more clout than we have."

Kosmina said A-League clubs needed to rein in spending.

"If you throw money at things, generally you just have to throw more at it," he said.

"And it doesn't get better - it gets worse and you create more problems that you need to solve.

"So consolidate - maybe everyone should just look at how they go about their business."

Kosmina believed professional sport worldwide wasn't viable.

"How much money did the (AFL club) Gold Coast Suns lose last season? - I heard a number of $23 million touted around," he said.

"Gold Coast Titans in the NRL - $27 million in the red ... Manchester United - half a billion pounds in the red.

"So is professional sport viable?

"No it's not. It relies on benevolent billionaires. That is how it survives all around the world."

But he cautioned about giving the billionaires too much power.

"How far do you bend over?" Kosmina said.

"You have got to give people respect. But that doesn't mean they're allowed to disrespect you back."

The JALSC will be chaired by the FFA Deputy Chairman Brian Schwartz, with fellow FFA directors Joseph Healy and Phill Wolanksi also appointed.

The A-League clubs have appointed Adelaide United chairman Greg Griffin, Perth Glory chairman Tony Sage and Melbourne Heart chairman Peter Sidwell.

The new committee will meet every two months to make determinations on strategic and policy matters affecting the A-League.

FFA CEO Ben Buckley welcomed the appointments to the JALSC.

"The new committee will have the right mix of skills and experience for the task of setting the strategic and policy direction of the Hyundai A-League," Buckley said.

"The JALSC will give clubs a direct say in decision-making and provide a critical insight to the challenges facing the Hyundai A-League within the overall business of football in Australia."

The scope of matters to be considered by the JALSC will include:

:: Competition structure and policy including match schedule, season window and number of rounds
::Revenue growth maximisation strategies and policies and strengthening the capital base of the game
:: Benchmarking analysis and financial regulation policy
:: Player contract regulations
:: Collective Bargaining Agreement framework
:: Disciplinary regulations & Grievance procedures
:: Community engagement strategies

The formal establishment of the JALSC follows a consultation period between FFA and the clubs, which included face-to-face meetings with clubs, involving FFA Chairman Frank Lowy AC, FFA Deputy Chairman Brian Schwartz, FFA CEO Ben Buckley and Head of Hyundai A-League Lyall Gorman.

The JALSC process was endorsed by the clubs at a meeting with the FFA Board and senior management in Sydney on 29 March. The first meeting of the JALSC is scheduled for May.

Will the chosen one hail from the so-called "golden generation" of the past two FIFA World Cups - players like Lucas Neill, Harry Kewell, Tim Cahill, Mark Bresciano, Craig Moore, Mark Schwarzer and Mark Viduka?

Or from the first Socceroos to reach the big stage in 1974, where the likes of Peter Wilson, Jimmy McKay, Johnny Warren, Ray Baartz and Manfred Schaeffer stood tall.

Or perhaps from the in-between years, someone like Aurelio Vidmar, Charlie Yankos, Frank Farina, John Kosmina, Ned Zelic or Paul Okon?

How about an old-timer such as Joe Marston, the first Australian to appear in an FA Cup final? Fans can vote online at www.greatesteveraustralianfootballer.com by Friday 22 June.

Their votes will determine 50 per cent of the outcome, the other half coming from a judging panel of leading players, commentators and administrators, including Jack Reilly, Andy Harper, Craig Foster, Melissa Barbieri, Les Murray, Jamie Warren, Moya Dodd and George Negus.

The winners will be announced at a Johnny Warren Football Foundation fundraiser in Sydney on 12 July.

"We have an embarrassment of riches in Australian football," said judging panel member George Negus.

"To try and select the nominees, let alone the greatest ever winners, is a tough task."

Greatest Australian team (in 1-4-3-3 formation) and Greatest Australian player nominees

Goalkeepers: Ron Lord, Ron Corry, Jim Fraser, Mark Bosnich, Mark Scwharzer.

Defenders: George Keith, Doug Utjesenovic, Alan Davidson, Tony Vidmar, Luke Wilkshire, Paul Okon, Joe Marston, Manfred Schaeffer, John Watkiss, Peter Wilson, Charlie Yankos, Milan Ivanovic, Alex Tobin, Ned Zelic, Craig Moore, Lucas Neill, Col Curran, Harry Williams, Jim Tansey, Stan Lazaridis, Scott Chipperfield.

Midfielders: Jimmy Rooney, Johnny Warren, Murray Barnes, Paul Wade, Brett Emerton, Jimmy McKay, Paul Okon, Vince Grella, Josip Skoko, Jason Culina, Ned Zelic, Tim Cahill, Les Scheinflug, Ray Richards, Oscar Crino, Robbie Slater, Mark Bresciano.

Strikers: Atti Abonyi, Frank Farina, Aurelio Vidmar, Tim Cahill, Adrian Alston, Ray Baartz, John Kosmina, Graham Arnold, Mark Viduka, Branko Buljevic, David Mitchell, Eddie Krncevic, Harry Kewell, John Aloisi, Reg Date, John Watkiss.

Greatest Australian female player nominees

Julie Dolan, Julie Murray, Cheryl Salisbury, Jo Peters, Joanne Millman, Collette McCallum, Alison Foreman, Heather Garriock, Lisa De Vanna, Melissa Barbieri.

Greatest Australian coach nominees

Joe Vlasits, Rale Rasic, Frank Arok, Eddie Thomson, Terry Venables, Frank Farina, Guus Hiddink, Pim Verbeek.

The following is a timeline of the troubled competition:

August 2005: A-League begins with eight foundation clubs, including Auckland-based New Zealand Knights (formerly Football Kingz in the NSL).

December 2006: New Zealand Knights' licence revoked by Football Federation Australia after poor on-field performances and low attendances.

March 2007: Wellington Phoenix selected to replace Knights in A-League ahead of Townsville-based bid.

May 2009: FFA takes control of Adelaide United after businessman Nick Bianco relinquishes ownership of the club.

August 2009: North Queensland and Gold Coast United enter competition as A-League expands to 10 clubs.

September 2009: FFA gives green light to a bid for a western Sydney franchise known as Sydney Rovers for inclusion in the 2011-2012 A-League season.

August 2010: Melbourne Heart enters competition.

September 2010: Newcastle Jets owner Con Constantine loses licence due to the club's dire financial situation. Nathan Tinkler's Hunter Sports Group agrees to take over.

November 2010: Consortium headed by businessman Robert Gerard takes control of Adelaide United.

December 2010: FFA announces Sydney Rovers will not enter the competition as planned, due to the bid consortium's lack of funds.

March 2011: North Queensland Fury's licence revoked due to financial reasons.

March 2011: FFA takes control of financially troubled Brisbane Roar.

September 2011: Wellington Phoenix changes ownership due to owner Terry Serepisos' financial difficulties.

October 2011: Indonesian mining company The Bakrie Group buys controlling share of Brisbane Roar.

November 2011: Central Coast Mariners reveals financial woes with short-term cash flow problems resulting in delay of payments to staff and players.

February 2012: FFA revokes Clive Palmer's Gold Coast United licence citing a breach of the league's regulations and agrees to pay players' wages for remainder of the season.

March 2012: Clive Palmer forms independent organisation known as Football Australia, aimed at keeping FFA accountable for their administration of the game.

April 2012: FFA announces it will bankroll a new western Sydney franchise to enter the competition in 2012-2013.

April 2012: FFA announces Gold Coast United will not take part in 2012-2013 competition.

April 2012: Hunter Sports Group announces intention to hand back Newcastle Jets licence.

Though unimpressed by the manner in which the ruling body has treated the consortium which has spent three years piecing together a proposal, Slavich said that Canberra could conceivably still make up a 10th team in 2012-2013 if FFA is unable to force mining magnate Nathan Tinkler to honour a participation agreement not scheduled to expire until 2020 or alternatively find a new backer for the club.

TransACT boss Slavich, whose consortium had sought to fill the void left by Gold Coast United before FFA opted to fund a western Sydney franchise, said: “After the decision was made by FFA to award a licence to western Sydney I was about to hand back the thousands of financial pledges for foundation memberships we have received from the ACT public and walk away.

“This has come out of the blue a bit and in the light of that I would still say that the door is still open to discuss possible participation next season for a team from the capital, though we feel we have not been treated well at by FFA.

“We feel we have excellent credentials and feel let down that FFA has opted for western Sydney which looks very much to me like it’s going to be partially funded by government money anyway with its $8 million grant to develop the game in that region. They have snubbed us repeatedly.”

Slavich said he would need a raft of assurances from FFA over the long-term viability of the A-League for his interest to be fully ignited again, adding: “It looks a little like the A-League is becoming a revolving door and that’s a major concern. You’ve had North Queensland Fury, Gold Coast United come and go and now the situation with the Jets.

“It is a worry to everybody. But we are still willing to talk with FFA, which I would imagine right now is in damage control.

“I feel sad for the game in general that this has happened. It’s the last thing it needs.

”The question is which other clubs out there might go next? I just don’t know how solid the foundations are.

”You have to fear for the league. Clubs coming and going is not a good look. You don’t see that happening in rugby league, in rugby union or the AFL.

“I feel particularly sad for the people of Newcastle and I am sure FFA will do everything in its power to find another backer. But cashed-up financers don’t just drop off trees.

“Our model has always been one from the ground up rather than the other way round.

”It’s good to have these wealthy backers dipping their hands in their pockets but when their mood changes it leaves clubs high and dry.”

To get the bid up and running originally, Slavich secured financial backing from the ACT government, business and private investors, which included $200 a pop commitments from thousands of foundation members.

Liberato, a backpacker who entered the tournament on a whim, will compete against an elite group of 32 virtual football athletes from around the world, selected from over 1 million players who have participated in the global tournament.

The Brazilian was one of a thousand football fans and gamers from around Australia competing across eight knockout heats to get down to the eight finalists who participated in the live qualifier on Wednesday.

“It's amazing, it's an indescribable feeling because I am here without my family, without my parents," Liberato said. "But I'm here with all my friends that I've met here in Sydney to win this Australian championship. It's a dream.”

Additional highlights of the night included event MC’s David Basheer and well known games expert Jeremy Ray who helped keep the crowd entertained as they called a Celebrity Interactive World Cup match.

Sydney FC’s Scott Jamieson kept his game face on as he defended his title against Channel V’s Danny Clayton, Matilda’s star Caitlin Foord and Street Football legend D10. In the end it was D10’s fancy finger work that outplayed Caitlin Foord to take the trophy.

With more than 1 million players competing around the world, Australia is one of only 11 countries to host a live FIWC tournament.

Competition is tough to secure one of only 32 finalist seats in the International Grand Final Event and Samuel has now secured his spot on the world stage.

The overall winner will ultimately be FIFA Interactive World Champion on stage at the FIFA Players Gala in front of football stars such as David Beckham, Tim Cahill, Wayne Rooney, Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres and Lionel Messi.

FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said the Indigenous Football Development Strategy will provide the plan to achieve the vision of getting more indigenous Australians playing football and being involved in coaching, refereeing and administration.

“On behalf of the board and management of FFA, I am delighted to present the first ever Indigenous Football Development Strategy; Football Dreaming,” he said.

“This strategy aims to build on the successful initiatives of recent years, including the staging of two indigenous football festivals as well as the delivery of underpinning school-based, education focused programs.

“As stated in the National Game Development Strategy, FFA strives to ensure that football is accessible and enjoyable for all Australians. A key focus of this commitment is to work with the football community on supporting associations and clubs to be able to cater for indigenous Australians to participate in football.”

The development strategy is the culmination of an extensive consultation and planning process which commenced with a national forum, involving important contributions from many key stakeholders, an FFA statement read.

The key priority areas of the development strategy are to:

:: Maximise indigenous football participation opportunities;

:: Identify and develop talented indigenous footballers: and

:: Use football as a vehicle to positively impact social development issues, such as education, employment and health.

Plans are already in place for bringing the strategy to life which includes the delivery of member federation indigenous football festivals and the continuation of the National Indigenous Football Festival.

This will be complemented by ongoing participatory programs emphasising the critical importance of education and employment.

FFA will also work with world governing body FIFA on organising continued grassroots coaching courses to identify additional interested people who can promote and deliver football on a local level.

By working collaboratively with the indigenous community and the broader football community, FFA is hopeful of achieving the vision of football becoming the sport of first choice of the next generation of indigenous Australians.

Edwards and assistant coach Tony Vidmar will use their first training camp together as the initial part of their preparation for the Joeys' AFC Under-16 Championship in Iran which will be held from 21 September to 6 October 2012.

Edwards said he is very excited about working with this group of players for the first time, Football Federation Australia said.

“Over the past weeks I have been visiting national training centres around the country and have been very impressed by the quality of players within this age group,” he said.

Palmer's newly-formed FA will conduct the inquiry over 13 days and nine venues in every state as well as the national capital, starting in Brisbane on 10 April.

An FA statement on Friday stated the inquiry's terms of reference covered the Olyroos' failure to qualify for the London Games and the cost of junior football.

Other suggested topics were the amount of encouragement provided to women to participate in the sport and "any other matter seen by contributors as important or significant to the game".

Commissioner for the inquiry will be ex-Football South Australia president Gary Collis.

It is another raspberry blown at Football Federation Australia (FFA) by Palmer after the governing body stripped the billionaire mining magnate of the Gold Coast United licence.

Apart from forming FA to "bring accountability back into the game", Palmer has also threatened to sue FFA for $20 million if it does not return his A-League licence.

The inquiry will take in Brisbane, Townsville, Newcastle, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth, ending on 26 April.

"Interested parties can make their submissions either in writing or in person at the hearing(s) in their home state," the FA statement read.

But it is unlikely FFA will even consider the findings after CEO Ben Buckley recently dismissed Palmer's inquiry concept.

"It has no status. It has no relevance," Buckley said. "It shouldn't be taken seriously by the football public.

"In fact, I think in some ways people are being deceived by its establishment.

"People should treat it with the level of disdain that it deserves."

In another twist, Palmer's FA has also thrown its support behind the consortium hoping to earn the Gold Coast licence.

United might be playing its last game against Brisbane Roar at Skilled Park on Sunday as FFA decides its fate.

"Nobody wants to see another A-League club go to the wall and disappear like North Queensland Fury did last season," FA CEO Archie Fraser said in a statement.

"Everything should be done to keep top-level football on the Gold Coast - the region deserves to have a team.

"We will assist them (consortium) in any way possible should they need it.

"The most important outcome is that the club be kept alive."

The Dream Asia Cerebral Palsy Tournament UAE 2012 will see the Pararoos line up against Iran, Jordan, Korea, Singapore and UAE compete in friendly matches over six days at the Military Forces Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The participating teams have been invited based on regional representation from AFC's five regions and the Cerebral Palsy International Sport and Recreation Association’s (CPISRA) world ranking.

“Obviously it was very disappointing for us not to qualify for the 2012 London Paralympic Games, but this tournament will provide us with the ideal opportunity to start our preparations for the next campaign," Brown said.

“This is a younger squad than we have had in the past with four players set to make their international debuts. This was a deliberate decision to try and add more depth to our national team for the future."

The Dream Asia Cerebral Palsy Tournament is a new initiative by the AFC and its Member Associations and aims to encourage local communities to come out and play the beautiful game irrespective of their levels of abilities.

David Barber (Captain) - QLD
Chris Pyne (Vice Captain) - NSW
Ben Atkins - NSW
Chris Barty - WA
Michael Debenham - WA
Jared Eiby - QLD
Brett Fairhall - NSW
Ryan Kinner - SA
Connor Marsh - NSW
Joshua Seaman - SA
James Turner - NSW
Jack Williams - NSW

The 2XU Football FIVE5 and the Johnny Warren Football Foundation (JWFF) will be hosting a weekend feast of five-a-side football at the Knox Regional Football Centre over the weekend of 28 and 29 April.

Played on, what is widely regarded as the best football surfaces in Australia, this tournament will be the first event of its type for the Johnny Warren Foundation in Victoria and will bring together a mix of Juniors and Seniors in a fun, but competitive environment.

The Foundation was established in October 2004, just a month before the untimely death of Australian football legend Johnny Warren.

Johnny made his international debut in 1965 and was a key member of the Socceroos in their first appearance at the FIFA World Cup finals in West Germany in 1974.

The JWFF was established to raise additional resources for the advancement of football in Australia, improving the health of young Australians, improving player and coach development and removing social barriers to play football.

Lisa Middlebrook, CEO of the Johnny Warren Football Foundation is pleased to be working with the Football Federation Victoria on this special tournament.

“We plan for the proceeds of this event to help support football programs for indigenous and under-privileged children in Victoria," Middlebrook said.

“The JWFF is creating new opportunities for children outside of capital cities to play football, many for the first time,” she said.

“There are many children outside of Melbourne who don’t have opportunities to play, so we are working with Football Federation Victoria to create these new teams and new league partnerships and this tournament will help get the ball rolling, literally!”

The opening day of the tournament on Saturday 28 April, will be open junior boys and girls U10, U12, U14 and U16 Age groups.

On Sunday it will be the adults turn to perform with the competition open to men’s teams and mixed adult teams in separate competitions.

Knox Regional Football Centre Manager Chris Hain says this is another opportunity to showcase the facilities at Knox.

“Of course we will offer some great prizes for the winners of the both the junior and senior competitions but we expect people will want to get involved just to support the fine work of this eminent football institution," Hain said.

“Based on the experience of our first tournament only a few weeks ago we know that everyone that gets involved will have a great time on the country’s best Five a Side pitches - so we won’t have to say 'I Told You So'.

“We are confident this will become an annual event in partnership with the JWFF,” Hain said.

One person who took part in first tournament held at the facility was SBS Chief Football Analyst and former Socceroos midfielder Craig Foster. He says he’s keen to return and rates it easily the best in the country.

“It’s ahead of everyone and it’s ahead of the curve,” Foster said.

“You get a lot of these smaller centres, but the scale of it is bigger than I’ve seen in Australia before. It’s a wonderful credit to the game and to Football Federation Victoria because what we need in football is the highest level of facilities."

The Knox Regional Football Centre was opened in December, and will allow for an extra 25,000 football matches to take place each year on the nine all-weather floodlit synthetic five-a-side pitches, which are complemented by a full sized FIFA one star synthetic pitch with an emphasis on community access.

It will be Olympiacos' first visit to Australia since 1978 with the club 'committed to bringing a full strength squad', a Victory media statement read.

"This is another coup for our football club. Olympiacos is one of the most famous clubs in Europe and it is a privilege for our players to take on such a profiled club, and again introduce our brand, and the Melbourne Victory experience, to more football followers," Melbourne Victory managing director Richard Wilson said.

Olympiacos is currently four points clear in the Super League, and its president Evangelos Marinakis said, "It is an honour for our club to finally make the visit to Australia - we hope to further promote our club to the thousands of Greek expats in Australia and entertain them with our special brand of attacking football - we are rejoicing and cannot wait to bring joy to the throng of our supporters."

The match kicks off at 7.30pm.

JWFF’s visit marks the first time the organisation has reached out to Indigenous communities in the top end.

Working with its community partner, Coerver Coaching Australia, and with the help of the Indigenous Soccer Academy, JWFF will deliver the camp to an estimated 350 children over both days - the Foundation’s largest camp to date.

“We are very excited about our first trip to the Territory,” JWFF CEO, Lisa Middlebrook said.

“It is our aim to provide a great introduction to football for Indigenous children and with the help of our partners Coerver Coaching and ISA, we are developing a quality program for the Darwin area.”

The Foundation also announced it will be joined by Young Matilda’s midfielder Ruth Wallace.

“We are pleased to welcome Ruth and we are confident she will inspire these kids to be active and enjoy football,” Middlebrook said.

“Engaging children is one of the most important factors in creating tomorrow’s leaders,” Bobby Wright, Director of ISA, said. “Soccer is used to inspire participants to choose constructive pathways for themselves.

“We will be providing participants of all ages, ability, and gender, the opportunity to experience and participate in a wide variety of indoor and outdoor activities.

"Through these experiences, participates will develop positive attitudes towards a physically active lifestyle, and how to nurture relationships with their peers, and improve their self-esteem and leadership skills.”

Bagot Community Centre will be the venue for the first day’s action while JWFF will then visit Kormilda College on Sunday 25 March. JWFF will also be hosting a coach’s mentoring session for 20 community members, continuing its commitment to deliver high quality coaching courses to Indigenous communities..

The Johnny Warren Football Foundation works with underprivileged youth throughout Australia and has a focus on introducing the Indigenous population to the game.

The Foundation also works with the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) to help identify talent through the National Skills Acquisition Program.

Football Australia chief executive Archie Fraser said the maverick body will hold hearings throughout Australia starting next month.

Palmer set up Football Australia earlier this month after Football Federation Australia revoked his licence to own struggling A-League club Gold Coast United.

Fraser said the commission has been established because Football Australia had received support from around the country in its self-proclaimed role to be an "ethics watchdog" for football.

"The feedback we have received reflects the disenchantment within grassroots football people about how the game has been managed by the Football Federation Australia," Fraser said in a statement.

"We have pledged to ensure the game is operated with transparency, fairness and good corporate governance, and this public commission of inquiry is part of that process."

Former Football Federation South Australia president Gary Collis will head the inquiry, while former A-League player Steve Fitzsimmons has been appointed secretary to the commission.

Hearings will start in Brisbane on April 10.

Although unable to qualify for the 2012 London Olympic Games, Vidmar is confident his all locally-based side can go out of the competition on a positive note.

“It is obvious that mathematically we can’t qualify for the Olympic Games, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is an international match that we want to win.

“We have also selected the current group of players with the upcoming inaugural AFC U22 Asian Championship in mind to give them some valuable competitive international match experience.

“Although we will only have a limited preparation, I am sure that the boys will be looking to finish the campaign with a positive result."

The Olyroos and Iraq are out of contention to qualify for the Olympic Games with Uzbekistan and UAE playing in Tashkent for top spot in the group and a direct passage to the Olympics.

Olyroos squad:

Zac ANDERSON - Gold Coast United
Mark BIRIGHITTI (gk) - Adelaide United
Kofi DANNING - Brisbane Roar
Nicholas FITZGERALD - Brisbane Roar
Sam GALLAGHER - Central Coast Mariners
Craig GOODWIN - Melbourne Heart
Rhyan GRANT - Sydney FC
Brendan HAMILL - Melbourne Heart
Chris HAROLD - Gold Coast United
Bernie IBINI-ISEI - Central Coast Mariners
James JEGGO - Melbourne Victory
Ben KANTAROVSKI - Newcastle Jets
Mitchell MALLIA - Sydney FC
Jacob PEPPER -Newcastle Jets
Dimitrios PETRATOS - Sydney FC
Joshua RISDON - Perth Glory
Tom ROGIC - Central Coast Mariners
Lawrence THOMAS (gk) - Melbourne Victory

Mulvey, who has made a significant impact in his three games in charge since the departure of Miron Bleiberg, was initially stood down by FFA when it assumed control of the club and women’s national coach Tom Sermanni placed at the helm for the club’s final four A-League games.

But a player revolt called for his immediate return, with the squad threatening not to fly to Wellington without the coach, who won back-to-back Youth League crowns before being handed the first team reins by deposed United owner Clive Palmer last month.

It’s understood Mulvey was offered a 12-month contract by Palmer, despite there being no club to coach in 2012-2013 on the Gold Coast.

But he opted to turn it down to answer the call of his squad amid speculation that FFA has also thrown in the sweetener of a position within its coaching ranks beyond the end of this season for the Englishman.

A-League boss Lyall Gorman was due to confirm Mulvey’s re-appointment at Brisbane airport on Saturday afternoon when the squad boards a flight to New Zealand to end of a dramatic week, which saw the controversial Palmer stripped of his A-League license after breaching his participation agreement and then failing to win a reprieve through the courts when his bid for an injunction was denied on Friday night in Brisbane’s Supreme Court.

It’s believed the squad, with the aid of PFA chief Brendan Schwab, had also sought assurances from FFA that the contracts of former players Peter Perchtold and Brazilian Robson would be paid out, to the tune of close to $500,000. It’s unclear if that demand was met by FFA, but the fact the team is heading to Wellington suggests it may have won some concessions on that front also.

"If that is the case then FFA could be up for around $900,000 in keeping the club going until the end of the season, having also guaranteed all existing player contracts until the end of April," a Gold Coast insider told The World Game.

“Clive Palmer was also willing to do that, minus any compensation for Perchtold or Robson, as well as paying players for another year beyond this season.

“But FFA decided instead to pick up the bill at a time when it is not exactly flushed with funds.

“It also appears that Mike Mulvey has been offered something by the FFA beyond simply coaching for the final four games of the regular season.

"That’s a pretty safe assumption when you consider he was contracted by Clive Palmer for another 12 months and walked away from that job security."

“He is a career coach and he is somebody the players badly wanted at the helm for the rest of the season. They fought hard to keep him on board and have shown him great loyalty.”

After Phoenix, United faces Newcastle Jets away then takes on Perth and Brisbane at home before slipping into extinction.

Bid leader and TransACT boss Ivan Slavich's three-year battle to get a team up in the nation's capital was revived briefly when the FFA this week revoked Gold Coast United's licence and announced it was keen to maintain a 10-side competition.

But FFA has since confirmed its preference to start a franchise in western Sydney rather than consider Canberra's long-standing $4 million bid.

"I don't think it's fair," Slavich said.

"It is frustrating because we do have money behind it and a lot of capability and it seems western Sydney doesn't have any capability, yet the FFA is prepared to completely fund it.

"We would have had a great team.

"The FFA's thumbing their nose to the actual football supporters in Canberra - that's the disappointing thing."

To get the bid up and running originally, Slavich secured financial backing from the ACT government, business and private investors, which included $200 a pop commitments from thousands of foundation members.

But pending the veto from FFA - Slavich has yet to be told directly - he will begin refunding the pledges.

With FFA not planning to expand the A-League for another five years, it means Canberra fans are in for a long wait.

Slavich said Canberra deserved a spot and insisted he could have had a team ready to go for the next A-League season, despite the teams that have fallen by the wayside, courtesy of short preparation time, like Gold Coast and North Queensland Fury.

"It would have definitely been a lot of work and time, but I think we could have done it. "We were prepared to do it," he said.

The federal sports minister surprised colleagues on Monday when he announced he was quitting the Gillard ministry and the Senate, citing family reasons and the need to heal the Labor Party after an ugly leadership brawl.

His exit from parliament comes four months before the London Olympic Games.

There is speculation on Twitter the senator could be in line for a job at the embattled football federation because it needs a "head kicker".

An A-League club spokesman told AAP that football insiders believed Senator Arbib would soon join the federation's ranks.

"As soon as Mark Arbib resigned he was basically seen as an official in waiting for the federation," he said.

But a spokesman for Senator Arbib denied suggestions the minister was heading FFA's way.

"There's no truth to this rumour," he said.

Senator Arbib is a keen football fan and his young daughter plays the game.

And world governing body FIFA has also confirmed it will only back one association in each country - and, in Australia, that is FFA.

Palmer, whose club has been kicked out of the A-League after three alleged breaches to its participation agreement, has launched a 'Football Australia' body with the specific aim to hold FFA accountable for its governance of the game in Australia.

And the AFC has issued a statement from Kuala Lumpur underlining its strong backing for FFA.

”The AFC has received enquiries from Australian media in response to the recent developments concerning Football Federation Australia,” the statement read.

”In this regard, the AFC confirms that it recognises only FFA as the official affiliated member association representing Australian football in Asia.

”According to the AFC Statutes, only one national association shall be officially recognised in each country by the AFC.

”Accordingly, the AFC will only recognise and deal with FFA on all football matters concerning Australia.

The AFC also wishes to acknowledge and underline the AFC’s strong relationship with FFA, its chairman Frank Lowy and chief executive Ben Buckley.”

The venue will now be called the Allianz Stadium after a partnership with the insurance company announced on Wednesday.

Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) Trust Chief Executive Jamie Barkley said the move would help fund venue upgrades and live concerts at the stadium.

"The Trust will now accelerate plans to upgrade facilities for the benefit of fans," a statement from Barkley read.

"Allianz Stadium will offer a new dining level and food court on level three with works already underway in the Nick Shehadie Stand to provide improved facilities."

Bresciano, who plays in the United Arab Emirates for Dubai club Al Nasr, was given an opportunity by Socceroos coach Holger Osieck to show whether he still had it in him to be an influential international player.

Osieck had heard all about the exploits at club and national level of the experienced midfielder.

But since Bresciano went into international hibernation immediately after the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa he never worked under the German mentor although he was 'watched' by Osieck's staff.

This time Osieck did not have to rely on third-party reports on Bresciano's form because he was able to see for himself what the 32-year-old can bring to the team in that vital area between defence and attack.

It was a classic 'No 10' performance, even though he still carries his old number 23.

Osieck's fulsome appraisal of Bresciano's display would suggest that the coach liked what he saw.

Australia dumped its system of two holding midfielders in favour of a sort of diamond for this match against the desperate Saudis, which facilitated the return of attack-minded Bresciano.

After a hesitant start the team moved up the gears in the second part of the first half and it reached its climax with a three-goal blitz that crushed the Saudis.

The beautiful pass through the heart of the Saudi defence that freed Alex Brosque for Australia's first goal showed that Bresciano had lost none of the quick-thinking and passing skills that he perfected by playing for a decade in Italy's Serie A, where speed of thought is paramount in a league that affords players so little space and time on the ball.

He also played a key part in two of Australia's goals in the second half but it was his positive all-round performance punctuated by numbers of high technique that caught the eye of whoever was fortunate enough to watch the pulsating game.

After a fortnight of hell generated by the Gold Coast United saga that reached its climax a few hours before the match when the recalcitrant club was kicked out of the A-League, it was satisfying to be able to savour a truly magnificent game of football.

All in all the team that had a large A-League component played incisively, particularly in the second half.

Most players did a lot of running off the ball and found each other beautifully with crisp and precise passing.

There also was a smooth and efficient transition of the ball from the back towards the front, where fast-improving Brosque and born-again Harry Kewell looked sharp and hungry for goals.

Not since the 6-0 demolition of Uzbekistan in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup semi-final in Doha did the Socceroos show such fluency in the final third of the field and such clinical finishing.

Osieck will be expected to give Bresciano another chance to impress when Australia meets Denmark in Copenhagen in its next match in June.

By then the Australians will have known their opponents in the final phase of qualifying for a spot in the World Cup in Brazil.

The point was made by Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy this week that it is imperative for the game in Australia that the Socceroos qualify for each and every World Cup.

With a refreshed and revitalised Bresciano keen to prolong his Socceroos career and the team as a whole clicking into gear, Osieck can look towards the last eight matches of the World Cup campaign with optimism.

There is no doubt that, regardless of rankings, Australia and Japan are the strongest teams in Asia at the moment and, barring any reversal of form, they should be on the plane for Brazil.

There were signs in the match against the Saudis that the Australians might also do it in style too.

Australia was certain to progress to the final stage of qualifying top of its group, regardless of the result of the clash at Melbourne's AAMI Park.

But it looked in danger of suffering its first loss on home soil in three years when it trailed 2-1 at half-time and that was still the score 72 minutes into the match.

But the game turned dramatically when the home side piled on three goals in three minutes to ensure it will carry plenty of confidence into the last stage of qualifying for Brazil.

Brosque scored Australia's lone goal in the first half when midfielder Mark Bresciano, playing his first game for the Socceroos since the 2010 World Cup, gave the pacy striker a nice through-ball to run onto.

Brosque was also heavily involved in the second-half onslaught.

He set up Harry Kewell, who had an excellent match, for Australia's second goal of the night, running past the defence into the left of the penalty area, then cutting it back for Kewell's first-touch finish.

Brosque scored himself two minutes later, combining superbly with Brett Emerton, whose perfect chipped cross from the left allowed the striker to speed into the penalty area and head it past the Saudi keeper.

Within a minute of the re-start, Emerton had scored himself, with Bresciano again providing the assist and Emerton having a touch of luck, as a defender's attempted clearance ricocheted off the Australian's boot into the net.

It was fitting the Socceroos had a dose of luck, as earlier in the second half captain Lucas Neill was denied what would have been his maiden international goal by an incorrect offside call.

At the time, that 63rd minute decision looked like being costly for Australia, which was still trailing.

Earlier, the Socceroos made a sluggish start to go a goal down, courtesy of Saudi Arabia's Salem Mohammed Aldawsari in the 19th minute.

After Brosque's 43rd-minute equaliser, the home side paid for some loose defensive checking when Nassir Ali Alshamrani received a cross unmarked in the penalty area and fired home in first-half stoppage time.

"It wasn't the best of first-half performances, we knew the Saudis would come at us, but it was a great response and a good talk at half-time and passing the ball around quickly in the second half opened them up a little bit," Socceroos captain Lucas Neill said.

"It's March 9 now and then we can look ahead and we can really focus in on what we have to do to get to Brazil, the games are going to get tougher than this and we're going to have to be at our best."

Australia's win was good news for Oman, which overtook Saudi Arabia to progress to the next stage with a simultaneous 2-0 win over Thailand in Muscat.

The draw for the final round of Asian group qualifiers is on 9 March.

Players’ spokesman Joel Porter said there was no inkling of the drama to come when the squad trained at its Southport base in the morning.

And the striker says his teammates were in a state of upheaval and turmoil ahead of a planned evening meeting with billionaire owner Clive Palmer, who has vowed to challenge the FFA’s decision in the “highest court in the land”.

“This has hit the boys pretty hard and we need to know now what the FFA intends to do,” Porter said.

”I am the players’ representative on the PFA and I have heard nothing as yet from the FFA.

”We hope they honour existing contracts and provide the players with the security they need.

“If they can do that we can complete the remainder of the season where we face three of the top four teams in our last four games and can have a big say in the outcome of the title.

“The players have bills to pay and families to look after. I know the FFA has offered to negotiate with us but the way we see it is simple: the contracts just have to be honoured one way or another.

“The situation is such that it’s not just about us … it’s about the integrity of the competition as a whole.

“We need to be playing the last four games of the season ... you don’t want to see teams being awarded walkovers. That would be terrible for the league and unfair on a lot of teams.

“FFA needs to make the right call for all concerned. The worst thing that could happen would be for the players to be locked out.

“It could have a big impact on the finals and what we are looking for as some re-assurances.”

Though a number of rival clubs will be ready to cherry pick United’s top talent – skipper Michael Thwaite and rookies like Ben Halloran, Chris Harold, Golgol Mebrahtu, Mitch Cooper and Zac Anderson – veteran Porter is hoping Gold Coast could yet be resuscitated.

“Hopefully it’s not the end,” he added.

“Even if Clive can’t make peace with FFA it would be nice to get a new owner in because, with 7,500 juniors playing the game up here, I believe there is still a future for an A-league club in one form or other.

“Obviously things would need to be done differently but, as players, most of us would love to stay up here if at all possible.

“It’s a very sad situation for the club and our supporters … all this has taken us aback.

”We knew there were issues obviously and something might happen after the end of the season. But for it to happen now is a big surprise.

“The players have a lot of time for Clive. He’s been fantastic with us and has always honoured his word. It’s a huge shame it has come to this.”

Porter has deep concerns for players’ futures if the doors are closed for good, adding: “That’s 23 more players on the market and only nine clubs. A lot of the boys may not get deals elsewhere and could be lost to the game. I personally feel I have another year left in me at A-League level despite missing a lot of games this season … but who knows what will happen now.”

Meanwhile, Professional Foobtallers Association chief Brendan Schwab, who has been seeking clarification from FFA and will meet United’s players on Thursday, addressed a number of the squad’s concerns in a statement.

It listed the following concerns:

:: Honouring of current player contracts, which all expire on 30 April 2012, with four players contracted until 30 April 2013;

:: Treatment and rehabilitation of injured players (to ensure that the insurance coverage is in place and that players have access to necessary facilities). Gold Coast United presently has the worst injury record in the competition, with 16 players having missed matches by reason of injury this season. Seven are presently recovering from long-term injuries;

:: The status of the work visas of foreign players;

:: The payment of entitlements for players whose contracts have been terminated without cause (Peter Perchtold and Robson); and

:: The integrity of the A-League competition. The last four Gold Coast matches are against clubs in the top six: Wellington Phoenix, Brisbane Roar, Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory. Given how well Gold Coast United is playing, these could have a major effect on the table and would throw the competition into disarray if not played.

Schwab said it was “disappointed it was not advised of FFA’s decision until immediately prior to FFA’s media announcement, which we regard as a breach of FFA’s consultative obligations under the A-League Collective Bargaining Agreement”.

“We would have liked to have been in a position to have reached agreement with FFA and the club on all five matters before a decision was made by FFA.

”I will hold discussions with FFA to find out why such a major decision like this was made in this manner.

“The PFA’s concerns over the security of A-League player contracts are again highlighted by today’s announcement.”

Gorman rushed to the Gold Coast on Wednesday to organise contingency plans as Football Federation Australia terminated billionaire United owner Clive Palmer's A-League licence.

He told reporters at United's Skilled Stadium home ground it was difficult to say whether there's any long-term future for an A-League franchise on the Gold Coast.

But his pressing priority was to ensure last-placed Gold Coast plays out its remaining four fixtures to protect the integrity of the competition.

FFA has indicated it is ready to pay the Gold Coast players itself to finish the season's commitments.

Gorman said he'd had a brief discussion with United coach Michael Mulvey, who took over after Palmer sacked Miron Bleiberg a week ago, and would speak with Gold Coast players on Thursday.

He declined to say what response he received from Mulvey or Thwaite, who was in Melbourne preparing for Wednesday night's 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia.

"The major priority at the moment is completing the end of the season for the sake of the players and the sake of the opposing teams as well," Gorman said.

The worst case scenario would be having Gold Coast withdraw from remaining matches with opposing teams awarded points by default but the FFA was confident that could be avoided.

"We've got a very tight competition at the moment and obviously competition points are very relevant," said Gorman.

"You want to see that achieved in a competition full of integrity and not through forfeits and those sort of arrangements."

He said he had spoken to Gold Coast football officials and was encouraged by their response but did not know if the A-League would be able to maintain a presence there.

"It's hard to read into the future in that regard," he said.

"I think there's an absolute determination to ensure the pathway for young people is preserved in some way or other for the future in terms of development.

"But with regard to a Hyundai A-League team, we've got to bunker down and ascertain and assess that and analyse where it sits today.

"My priority really is about the footballers, the fan base, the sponsors and so on."

Gorman refused to discuss Palmer.

"What is disappointing and sad is that we've reached this stage in terms of the evolution of Gold Coast United football - that's what's sad today," he said.

Lowy’s decision has served only to stir up the billionaire, who threatened a legal stoush less than 90 minutes after Lowy's announcement that Gold Coat United had lost its licence owing to "clear breaches" of the Club Participation Agreement.

“We have been given no notice, we have had no hearing and we will pursue this in the high court in pursuit of natural justice,” Palmer said.

“We don’t know what the charge is and Frank Lowy has behaved in the manner of a dictator. He has asked for a fight and now he has one.

“Mr Lowy will have his day in court. He will be cross examined. We’ll seek to have the FFA’s records opened up over the multi-million salaries of their top executives and we will expose their poor corporate governance.”

Palmer, who has been at loggerheads with FFA for the best part of two years, claims to have tipped $18 million into the club and is adamant Gold Coast United will field a team next year, even if it means financing a breakaway league.

“I have the resources to go out and form a 10-team competition of my own and perhaps that’s what I will do. If Mr Lowy wants to take on my wealth against his, let’s bring it on,” he said.

Palmer, who praised Lowy earlier in the day, went on the attack this afternoon, claiming United has been punished over his quest to bring “transparency and corporate governance” to the code.

He added: “I have been seeking changes in the running of the game behind the scenes for some time. I don’t like to see anybody getting pushed around. Not many people have the means I have to fight this and fight this I will because a terrible injustice has been done.

“The game doesn’t belong to Frank Lowy, the owners or me. It’s about the supporters and the public and they deserve better.”

Palmer already has the support of Perth Glory owner Tony Sage, who insisted that a nine-team competition next season would be deeply devalued.

“It’s the last thing anybody needs, especially with the rights for a new TV deal being negotiated and no immediate sign of there being a second Sydney team,” Sage said.

“The very worst thing right now for the competition is to lose a team at this time.

“While Frank Lowy as chairman of the FFA has every right to be critical of Clive and the way he goes about things, it’s patently unjust that (Palmer) has been castigated elsewhere by people who have never put a penny into the game, let alone the $18 million Clive has invested.”

While not agreeing with Palmer’s public criticism of the governing body, an attack which saw him call for the head of FFA chief executive Ben Buckley as well as insist FFA’s top brass was grossly over-paid, fellow minerals magnate Sage revealed that he and the other eight owners supported Palmer’s demands, which include the appointment of a representative of the clubs on the FFA board.

“The owners have been meeting with Frank Lowy one-on-one over the past few weeks and voicing their concerns. I’ve had my meeting with him and others have too.

“I chose to do it that way and Clive chose to go public, which isn’t the way I’d have done it.”

In the interim, FFA is to seek talks with the Gold Coast United players in a bid to persuade them to enter into an agreement to play the final four games of the season. The governing body has said it will pay the players' wages.

Wellington Phoenix has also been informed of the possibility that Sunday's round 22 match against Gold Coast United at Westpac Stadium could be called off.

Phoenix is keen for the match to go ahead.

Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison said the club would work with FFA to explore every avenue possible to ensure the game is played as scheduled.

Lowy responded vigorously on Tuesday to claims made by Palmer that FFA does not give A-League club owners enough say and that it siphons money away from the clubs.

"Day by day the comments emanating from the Gold Coast are more illogical and more confusing and even more damaging for our game," FFA chairman Lowy said at a Melbourne Heart business luncheon.

"I'm surprised when these ramblings are taken seriously and picked up by others.

"I'm at a loss to understand the motive behind it all."

Lowy questioned whether mining magnate Palmer wanted his A-League investment in the Gold Coast to be a success.

He described Gold Coast United as being a "spectacular failure" in terms of connecting with the local community and attracting crowds to their home games.

Lowy said talk of an independent body running the A-League outside of the control of FFA was "madness."

"The A-League could not survive if it separated from the FFA," he declared.

Lowy said he'd been around for a long time and was not going to respond to people who didn't know what they were talking about.

The Westfield billionaire said over the next few weeks he would talk with each of the A-League clubs to find a resolution.

Socceroos v Saudi Arabia WCQ LIVE on SBS Radio

Frank Rijkaard's side sit second in Group D of Asian World Cup qualifying, with six points, and need to win to book its spot in the next stage.

Anything less than a victory against the already-qualified Socceroos will mean Saudi Arabia will rely on the result between Oman (five points) and Thailand (four points) in Muscat for its progression.

The Saudis have been in Australia for more than a week and 3-0 and 6-0 victories against a New Zealand Under-23 side and a New Zealand 'A' team respectively mean Rijkaard's men will be well and truly prepared for the match, something that is not lost on Spiranovic.

"We know that they are a very good team," Spiranovic told reporters.

"They have everything to play for Wednesday so they'll come out firing. I think they've already been in Melbourne for 10 days so obviously they are taking it very seriously."

With Australia's qualification assured, manager Holger Osieck has taken the opportunity to include a few uncapped players in camp, with Michael Marrone, Erik Paartalu and Matthew Ryan all selected in the 19-man squad.

But Spiranovic says despite a slight change in personnel, there will be no difference to the team's professional mindset as they look forward to the next stage of qualification on the road to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

"We have already qualified for the next round but we are keen to keep the momentum going," he said.

"We want to come out with three points. As players, we want to be as professional as possible and we are taking this game like any game.

"We don't want to get into any bad habits and we want to continue the things we have done well in our previous games.

"If we can just fine-tune the things that we need to work on in the next round of qualifiers...we know we'll come up against better opposition as well (in the next stage)."

After a scoreless first half, the Futsalroos broke the deadlock in the first minute of the second half through Ngaluafe Henry.

Two minutes later Henry doubled his tally and his team’s lead.

At the thirty minute mark, Toby Seeto scored Australia's third goal and Greg Giovenali extended the margin five minutes later.

The Futsalroos seemed to have the match in the bag until the 36th minute send-off of Giovenali for a second booking.

Vietnam capitalised on the extra man and scored three late goals in the space of three minutes.

Australia held on for the vital win that books its place in the championship in the UAE in May.

In the final, host nation Thailand defeated Indonesia 3-1, with both nations also qualifying for the 2012 AFC Futsal Championship.

Futsalroos results

Group B
21 February 2012: Australia 15-0 Cambodia
22 February 2012: Australia 4-4 Malaysia
23 February 2012: 14:00 Australia 2-2 Vietnam

Semi Final
25 February 2012: Australia 0-7 Thailand

3rd/4th Place play-off
26 February 2012: Australia 4-3 Vietnam

Ryan is still in a state of disbelief at his call-up and he will seek to glean every morsel of knowledge he can from the Socceroos’ enduring number one.

“I’ve never met Mark before … the closest I’ve ever been to him was watching as a kid when we beat Uruguay to qualify for the 2006 World Cup when I was in the crowd in Sydney," the 19-year-old said.

“It’s going to be overwhelming to meet him in the flesh, he’s one of Australia’s sporting heroes and to get the chance to train alongside him is incredible.

“He’s been at the top the game for two decades and he is arguably the best keeper this country has produced. He is still one of the best in England, if not the world.

“If I can achieve half of what he has I will be able to look back on a great career. He is the ultimate professional and he is the first on the pitch and the last off it.”

Ryan learned of his elevation when Socceroos goalkeeping coach Tony Franken informed him that he wanted a word in the build-up to the Olyroos' 1-0 loss to UAE last week.

“I actually thought I was in trouble,” he said. “He said he wanted to speak to me after breakfast and when he was walking towards me he was keeping a straight face and I feared the worst.

“But then he came out with it and I was stoked. Life is pretty good right now.”

Ryan is even daring to dream of a possible part to play should Australia qualify for Brazil 2014.

“It’s mind blowing what’s been happening to me and I suppose being called into this squad shows that maybe I would have a little bit of a chance. I’ll just keep doing the best I can," he said

“If I was to make it there would be a lot of hard work in front of me. Hopefully I can give the coaching staff a bit of a headache.”

Ryan’s elevation to the senior national team has heightened his ultimate desire to move overseas, where he can take his game to the next level.

More importantly he can compete on a level playing field with the likes of Adam Federici, Nathan Coe and Mitch Langerak, who are in the hunt for the top spot when Schwarzer, 39, finally packs away his golden gloves.

“I think I’ll have to go at some stage because there’s no doubt that European football is at another level and the likes of Adam and Mitch are already there," Ryan said.

“If I want to become Australia’s number one I will need to be doing the same thing and will be looking to make that a reality somewhere down the track."

"At the moment I’m here and I don’t think staying here another year is going to do me any harm," he said.

“Obviously if something comes up in due course that looks promising I’d take it with open arms.”

Ryan thanked those who have helped his fledgling career flourish – giving particular credit to Mariners goalkeeping coach John Crawley.

“Without his influence I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today," he said.

"He’s worked with Danny Vukovic, Andrew Redmayne and Matt Nash before me and is one of the best.

"Basically, he’s taught me everything I know.

“Graham Arnold, of course, has also been a major influence and support for me and has given me a lot of belief."

With no extra-time, the game at the Aloha Stadium went straight to penalties and Busan won the shootout 4-3 in sudden death when Yu Ji-hun slotted the winning shot by sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Australia hero Josip Skoko made a seamless return to top flight football, dictating the tempo of the contest as the much vaunted passing game which saw him play in England’s Premier League and the UEFA Champions League came to the fore.

Busan, which made it to the K-League Cup final last year, will play Japan's Yokohama or Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer in Sunday's (AEDT) final.

Heart will play in the match for third place.

Australia will miss the Olympic tournament for the first time since 1984 after Australia's U-23 team joined the Matildas on the qualification scrap heap on Thursday morning.

A 1-0 loss to United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi ended the Olyroos' hopes and was the fifth-straight game in which Aurelio Vidmar's side failed to score a goal.

Neill described the campaign as "extremely disappointing".

"If there's any positive to come out of it, it's knowing maybe we need to go back to the drawing board and have a look at where it went wrong and identify that and make sure it doesn't happen again," Neill said on Friday.

"No goals in five games and no wins is extremely disappointing and it's unusual for a young Australian team that usually pride themselves on being attacking and full of attacking moments.

"Maybe the biggest thing is we can't get complacent, no matter who we're playing and at what level.

"We've got to keep raising the bar because everyone in the world is always improving in football.

"... I think that's got to happen at 17s, 20s and 23s and at (senior level)."

Neill had the experience of becoming an Olympian at the Sydney 2000 Games and predicted the Olyroos' failure would hit home hardest when the London Games begin.

"The big picture is these guys are going to be sitting there now going, 'we're missing out on going to the Olympics'," Neill said.

"When the Olympics come on in July, we're not going to see Australia and it's really going to hit home and that's the bit we've all got to learn from.

"... These guys had a chance and they didn't take it and that will probably be a regret and blips on their CVs for the rest of their careers."

Bresciano, 32, asked not to be picked for the Socceroos after the 2010 World Cup but will return from an 18-month absence in Wednesday's 2014 qualifier against Saudi Arabia in Melbourne.

Neill is better equipped than most to gauge Bresciano's form and mindset as both ply their trade in the United Arab Emirates Pro League.

And the Australia captain, who plays for third-placed Al Jazira, said Bresciano had been back to his best with second-placed Al Nasr and was "like a kid being picked for the first time" after his first call-up under Holger Osieck.

"I can tell you from a first-hand opinion that he (Bresciano) has been brilliant," Neill said on Friday, after launching his investment in the MR SOCCER youth training program alongside former national team-mate Mark Robertson.

"He's really enjoying his football, you can see that and I hope you get a chance to see that on Wednesday.

"He's scored eight goals from centre midfield (for Al Nasr) and that's not easy to do.

"I hope he gets a chance to play for the Socceroos and comes back and takes that chance because he's a valuable asset to the Socceroos, he's still got a lot to offer and his experience could add a dimension that we need as a Socceroos team going to Brazil."

Neill's decision to switch from Europe to the Middle East last year raised a few eyebrows, but the 33-year-old was confident he would be able to maintain his high standards with the national team.

The former Blackburn and West Ham defender has found the score sheet four times this season, something he hopes signals his first international goal is not far away.

"I know where the net is now," Neill said.

"I've got to bring that into my Australian form now and turn a 79 (caps) and 0 (goals) into and 80 and 1.

"... I feel good, I feel strong and I'm in a good environment now where I can control my training, control how I feel every day of the week and I've got a manger that supports that.

"As long a can come back and compete at a level for Australia, I'll consider it to be a very good season on a personal note."

Wednesday's match is a dead rubber from the Socceroos point of view, having already guaranteed top place in the group to progress to the next stage.

But Neill insists the squad, including a handful of fringe players and A-League hopefuls, should treat it as anything but with the first two qualifiers of the next stage, and a friendly with Denmark, looming in June.

"We've got to make sure we don't show complacency," Neill said.

"This game is another game that everybody has to be in Holger's mind pushing for a start, knowing that maybe there's another 10 guys that aren't here that are going to come back.

"There's only enough room (in a squad) for 23 players and there's probably 50 to choose from.

"... No matter who you are, this could be your only chance and you've got to come in and show why you got picked and take that chance."

The MR SOCCER programs focus on School Sports Sessions, Holiday Camps and a Skills Development Program with all clinics personally designed by Neill and Robertson and open to both boys and girls of all fitness and skill levels.

“I feel strongly about wanting to help make a tangible difference to future of not just soccer in Australia but also the general health and well being of our kids,” Neill said.

“Grass roots soccer is where the greatest impact can be made and I would like to pass on the skills that I have developed over the years to participants of all levels.

“MR SOCCER is the best program of its kind around and I wouldn’t have invested my own money if I didn’t believe it was.”

MR SOCCER has already begun working with several Sydney schools with plans to soon expand all over NSW before launching into other states in the future.

After fighting back from two goals down to level the scores at 2-2, thanks to a Maceo Righters double, the table topping young Mariners turned found an extra gear to add four more goals to the scoreline.

Nikola Stanojevic opened the scoring for the visitor poking home from an Adriano Pellegrino corner.

After Justin Haywood almost doubled the Mariners lead, Ben Jurman's drive doubled the advantage for the Mariners.

Gold Coast striker Maceo Righters then levelled the scores with two goals on the either side of half-time, before the Mariners scored four more times to ensure the win.

The tournament will be played from 23 June to 8 July 2012 at a venue to be determined.

FFA Technical Director Han Berger welcomed the result of the draw and the opportunity that a new competition like the AFC U-22 Asian Cup presents Australian football.

“It’s very exciting for us to be a part of this exciting new international competition in Asia.

“The next edition of this tournament will be even more important as it will serve as the qualifiers for the 2016 Brazil Olympic Games.

“This competition is another great opportunity for our players to get valuable experience in an international tournament against quality opposition,” concluded Berger.

AFC U-22 Asian Cup 2013 Qualifiers groups:

Group A: UAE, Iraq, Oman, India, Turkmenistan, Lebanon
Group B: Saudi Arabia, Syria, Pakistan, Palestine, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka
Group C: Bahrain, IR Iran, Tajikistan, Qatar, Kuwait, Maldives
Group D: Uzbekistan, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nepal
Group E: Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Macau, Timor Leste
Group F: DPR Korea, China PR, Thailand, Hong Kong, Laos, Cambodia
Group G: Korea Republic, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Chinese Taipei, Philippines

Vidmar was appointed coach of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Program with Edwards the new Australia U-17 coach, in addition to his current position as FFA Assistant Technical Director.

Edwards will be in charge for the 2012 AFC U-16 Asian Cup to be held in October, and for the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup a year later.

Vidmar will also assist Edwards at Joeys matches.

The new look team succeeds Jan Versleijen. The Dutchman was previously at the helm of the U-17 and U-20 national teams before his contract expired last December.

"Alistair and Tony have shown themselves, both as players and more recently as coaches, to be of the highest calibre and to have the right attitude, experience and personalities to be in charge of these two vital development program," National Technical Director Han Berger said.

“Whilst the AIS program aims to provide the majority of players for the Qantas Joeys squads, the task of providing the daily training environment for the players and that of managing a team at international tournaments are slightly different.

“To recruit two former Socceroos and well-credentialld coaches for the separate roles really enhances the support and development that these players will receive.

“Tony will work as Assistant Coach for the Qantas Joeys and accompany Alistair on the bench at their matches.

“Alistair will retain his role as the FFA Assistant Technical Director and continue to perform the duties that he has in the past as well.

“We are also in the process of appointing an Assistant Coach for the AIS program which we will announce in the near future,” Berger added.

Furthermore, the AIS and FFA appointed Peter de Roo, the Technical Director of Football Queensland to the newly created position of Technical Manager of the AIS Football Program.

Following a number of intense weekend training sessions, Knight is confident that his players will be successful at the ASEAN qualifiers.

“It was a tough decision to settle on the final selection of players, but I believe that the squad are the best available players at this time,” Knight said.

“With the mix of youth and experience we have, there is a good understanding of what is required to qualify for the AFC Futsal Championships and we will be developing National team players of the future as well.

“There is a high level of excitement around the squad at the moment and we’re all eager for the kick-off of the first match against Cambodia,” Knight concluded.

The Futsalroos have been drawn with Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam in Group B of the ASEAN qualifiers.

The Qantas Futsalroos opening match of the tournament will be against Cambodia on 21 February (kick-off 11:30am local, 3:30pm AEDT), followed by Malaysia on 22 February (kick-off 11:30am local, 3:30pm AEDT) with their last group match against Vietnam on 23 February (kick-off 2:00pm local, 6:00pm AEDT).

The top three teams from the ASEAN qualifiers will progress to the AFC Futsal Championships 2012, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates in May.

Futsalroos squad

Jarrod Basger (Maccabi Hakoah - NSW)
George Cattanach (Boomerangs FS - ACT)
Robbie Cattanach (Boomerangs FS - ACT)
Daniel Foggarty (West City Crusaders - NSW)
Greg Giovenali (Dural Warriors - NSW)
Andres Gomez (Sydney City Eagles - NSW)
Simon Keith (Campbelltown Quake - NSW)
Shervin Keshavarz (Enfield Rovers - NSW)
Danny Ngaluafe (No current Club - QLD)
Gavin O'Brien (Campbelltown Quake - NSW)
Tobias Seeto (Dural Warriors - NSW)
Peter Spathis (Sydney City Eagles - NSW)
Lachlan Wright (Enfield Rovers - NSW)
Chris Zeballos (Sydney City Eagles - NSW)

The two clubs have joined a long list of creditors as Pompey, which has crippling debts of $194 million, slips into administration for the second time in two years after failing to find a new backer.

Should the clubs take their grievance to FIFA, the figure owed in training and compensation fees from six players, plus a cut of the transfer fee of Ryan Williams to Fulham last month, could rise to over $2 million as part of punitive measures on debtors imposed by the world governing body.

Joondalup is owed $73,000 per player for Australian under-17 internationals Andy Higgins and Alex Grant and Middlesbrough star Rhys Williams’s younger brother Ryan. Not to mention 20 percent of the fee paid by Fulham for 18-year-old Ryan, believed to be around $90,000.

Blacktown has been waiting impatiently for $220,000 in development fees for Billy Tsolovos, Jordan Fitzharris and under-17 international Patrick Antelmi, all of whom joined Portsmouth’s youth academy before turning professional.

“It's disappointing to say the least. We entered into the agreements in good faith and we have been waiting a long time and we haven't received a cent," ECU Joondalup academy chairman Steve Wheatley said.

“We are hoping to get our money because we budgeted a long time ago on using the cash to fund our new clubhouse and it if doesn't come through it presets a real problem to us.

“The money is already three years overdue. We will survive but it will be a matter of surviving rather than pushing on.”

Both clubs have advised Football Federation Australia of the situation and with the backing of the local governing body, both are willing to take the case to FIFA in pursuit of their claims.

Should FIFA find in their favour the value of each player would be set at a punishing $430,000.

Blacktown boss Ken Schembri said: "We haven't received anything yet for the players and the best offer we have had is an instalments package from Portsmouth.

“We are due a payment at the end of the month. It will be interesting to see if we receive it or not.

“When the players turned professional we were entitled to £50,000 ($A73,000) per player but the club has reneged on that because it is in trouble.

“We have the option of going through FFA to FIFA for compensation. Right now, we are still talking to Portsmouth and we are obviously the little fish a long way away.

“They haven't paid their own players let alone us. It's a bad situation for all concerned. We develop these players and as yet have ended up with nothing.”

Portsmouth, which last week was given a seven-day stay of execution after getting more time to fight a winding-up petition, was brought to the brink after being taken to court by Britain's Revenue and Customs over an unpaid tax bill of $2.5 million.

It officially was placed in the hands of the administrator on Friday.

The 2008 and 2010 FA Cup finalist is in 17th spot in the Championship and with a mandatory 10-point deduction looming, faces a difficult task to stay up.

Perth's goal from Harry O’Brien came when his side was 2-0 down and proved to be only a consolation once Russel ensured the three points for the home team in time-added-on.

Despite the loss Perth holds on to second place on the ladder, but Gold Coast has now moved within three points of its opponent after registering its third win in four games.

Elsewhere in the NYL on Saturday, Adelaide United handed Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) a 5-1 thrashing.

Two early goals in each half, including a double from Evan Kostopoulos and one each to Ricardo Da Silva and Awer Mabil saw the home team reach an insurmountable 4-0 lead by the 58th minute.

Stefan Mauk did pull one back for AIS but Nicholas Mavromatis restored the four-goal advantage in the 83rd minute.

On Friday night, Central Coast Mariners stayed top of the NYL ladder with a 2-0 win over Brisbane Roar.

Mitchell Duke scored both goals to help hand his side to its sixth win in a row.

Ryan was voted the most outstanding under-21 player for January after standout performances in four matches.

Ryan kept three clean sheets in wins over Melbourne Heart, Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory.

Ryan is following on from a standout debut season between the posts for Central Coast when he won the NAB Young Footballer of the Year award.

Ryan is currently in Dubai with the Australian under-23 team preparing for the Olympic qualifying matches against Uzbekistan and United Arab Emirates this month.

The previous nominees are Gold Coast's James Brown and his Mariners teammates Bernie Ibini-Isei and Mustafa Amini.

The four will be joined by two players to be nominated for February and March in the quest to win the annual award.

The overall winner will receive a $10,000 personal investment portfolio, a NAB Private Client Manager to assist with a range of banking and financial services and the NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award.

In an open letter to the football community obtained by The World Game, Richards, a member of the 1974 Socceroos squad that was the first Australia team to qualify for the World Cup, praised the actions of the 1997 group, which fought for greater prize-money during the Confederations Cup of that year and threatened to walk out on the tournament before then-governing body Soccer Australia agreed to meet its requests.

England-born Richards revealed a similar dispute took place in 1974, with the whole squad poised to walk out on the World Cup, being held in West Germany.

“Most, if not all Socceroo squads have had disputes with the national administrative body over conditions and monetary compensation just as we did at the 12th hour (sic) before flying out to Germany for Australia’s first appearance at a World Cup,” Richards wrote.

“We set up a leadership group in 1974 with some of its members the greatest names ever to wear the green and gold. The 1997 squad … did the same.

“Our concerns were similar to theirs. We had teammates that needed to be looked after. Teammates that had helped us qualify but would not be going to (West) Germany in the final squad.

“The difference then was that we stuck together, as mates do.”

While the 1997 playing group's action pioneered improved conditions for players wearing the green and gold, it also caused a rift in the squad, which re-emerged in the football media recently.

Richards took aim at critics of the stance taken by the majority of the 1997 Confederations Cup squad, speaking of the value of “fighting for what you believe in” and “honouring" the Socceroos jersey.

“The Socceroo legend over many years has been built on strength of character, mateship and being there for your players when things get tough,” Richards continued.

“Unfortunately the fabric isn’t always cut to fit the individual, but that is in the minority.”

Richards closed his letter with a message to all those that have represented Australia on the football field.

“To all past, current and future Socceroos, I ask you consider what you represent, enhance the legend with your own actions, and build on its reputation.”

Canberra completed an unbeaten season in perfect fashion by overturning the result against the same opponent in the W-League's inaugural grand final three years ago. Playing at home, Canberra looked to have the match in the bag after racing to a two-goal lead inside 18 minutes.

The opener came from a familiar source with the league's leading goalscorer Heyman converting following a superb pass from Ashleigh Sykes after just 11 minutes.

Heyman then turned provider for Sykes, who converted from close range after Grace Gill's pass dissected the defence.

Brisbane's opening went from bad to worse with experienced attacker Joanne Burgess departing with a knee complaint.

However, Emily Gielnik lived up to her 'super sub' tag in the most emphatic fashion, pulling a goal back with her first touch just seconds after replacing Burgess.

The Young Matilda striker tucked home her ninth goal of the season, eight of which have come after starting from the bench.

Catherine Cannuli then forced Lydia Williams into a sprawling save as the visitors stormed back in an end-to-end contest.

With the match in the balance, Heyman restored Canberra's two-goal margin on the hour mark with a superb leap and header from Gills' corner for a record-breaking 15th goal of the season.

However, Brisbane was soon handed a lifeline when Caitlin Cooper clipped Tameka Butt in the penalty area.

Butt converted the penalty, meaning she has finished on the scoresheet in all four W-League grand finals.

Heyman then spurned a chance for a hat-trick when she powered a close-range header over the crossbar but, ultimately, it mattered little as Canberra secured a deserved victory in front of a capacity crowd.

If it is to retain its crown, Brisbane will need to end the season-long unbeaten run of premier Canberra, who has the added advantage of playing on its home turf.

Roar's Matildas-laden side has the edge in terms of experience, having featured in all three previous W-League grand finals, winning two titles in the process.

Its reign appeared to be over last weekend as arch-rival Sydney FC led with seconds remaining, only for Roar to controversially equalise after a disputed injury delay.

Sydney's frustration resulted in the dismissal of star striker Kyah Simon and coach Alen Stajcic, with Roar eventually prevailing in a penalty shoot-out.

"I guess what we tried to take out of the game last weekend is the strength of character that we have within the squad," said Hopkins.

"When it comes down to the wire in the last few minutes of games, sometimes with extra time and penalty shoot-outs, and when you come through something like that, it binds the team together.

"It gives them an inner strength and a belief. Emotionally it is tough to go through but when you come through it with a positive outcome, there is nothing like it for the group. So the girls are buzzing and ready to go."

Brisbane will be at full strength despite lingering concerns over goalkeeper Casey Dumont, who missed its match two weeks ago with a persistent groin injury.

The home side is likely to spring a surprise by finding a starting place for Matildas veteran Caitlin Munoz as it hunts a maiden championship.

The talismanic attacker made a swift return from a knee operation with a brief appearance off the bench in the semi-final win over Melbourne Victory.

However, Canberra's dual international Ellyse Perry is expected to remain on the sidelines despite her availability after commitments with national cricket side over the past week.

A full house is expected at the compact McKellar Park in Belconnen and United skipper Ellie Brush hopes home advantage will help reverse the 2-0 loss in the season decider against the same opponent three years ago.

"We are all excited about the home grand final, and I think Canberra as a whole is pretty excited," said Brush.

"Canberra teams all stick together and the Caps (Canberra Capitals basketball) players and Brumbies and Raiders have been out there supporting us week-in, week-out, which has been great.

"We have certainly been feeling the love in Canberra so we can't wait to get out there and perform for them, and for us, and bring home the trophy."

The demand for tickets for Saturday afternoon's match at McKellar Park has been overwhelming.

Brisbane Roar travelling fans have an additional allotment of tickets available for them at the venue.

Shipard, who has played in two FIFA World Cups and an AFC Asian Cup for the Matildas, plays her club football for Canberra United.

On Saturday afternoon Shipard and her teammates, who have not lost a match all season, will face champion Brisbane Roar in the W-League grand final.

The match at McKellar Park in Canberra has created plenty of interest in the print and electronic media and should draw a healthy crowd but this comes as no real surprise to Shipard.

While men's football has always tried to force its way into the media's calculations, often claiming bias and hidden agendas, women's football has preferred to adopt a softly-softly approach of advertising itself through its achievements on the field at home and abroad.

"Australian sport is ruled by AFL and NRL but we have let our football do all the talking in terms of selling our game," Shipard, 24, said.

"Women's football at club and national level in Australia is gaining momentum and we should keep building on that.

"I think we are now well supported in terms of women's sport throughout Australia although of course we would like more coverage in newspapers and what not.

"The support we have had from television is pretty incredible and the online content gives us a chance to connect with fans through the social networks."

Shipard, who told The Canberra Times in midweek that she has been suffering from an eating disorder for almost a decade, said United's players were quietly confident of securing the title although they will have to beat a tough bogey team to do so.

"We have been told to enjoy the week leading up to the match and not think too much about the game," Shipard said.

"We've had a pretty good season and we are playing at home so I guess from an outsider's point of view we are seen as the slight favourites.

"To be honest I don't think we are going out there thinking that way although we have momentum going into the match.

"It is true that we do not have the best record against Brisbane but at the end of the day it won't be about previous matches.

"So we are going out there to enjoy a good game, hopefully in front of a good crowd."

This is the fourth W-League season since its inception in 2008.

The previous champions were Queensland Roar, Sydney FC and Brisbane Roar.

The match is part of the international football package announced by the NSW Government through Destination NSW and Football Federation Australia in August 2011.

The package includes two Olyroos qualifiers for the 2012 Games, the first of which was played last November at Parramatta Stadium and the second is to be played at Bluetongue Stadium, which is to be called Central Coast Stadium for the occasion due to AFC requirements.

Hartcher said the announcement that Gosford would host the Australian Under-23s v Iraq Under-23s was a fantastic achievement for the region and an exciting addition to the 2012 NSW Events Calendar.

“This is great news for the Central Coast and reflects the NSW Government’s desire to take international football to as many parts of the State as possible.

“Pending the outcome of other London 2012 qualifiers during February in Australia’s group, the match against Iraq could be crucial to our hopes of London 2012 qualification.

“The NSW Government is committed to supporting events in regional NSW as they play an important role in driving tourism and generating economic benefit for the State and local community.”

Football Federation Australia chief executive Ben Buckley said he was greatly appreciative of the support from the Government for this match and other football events within NSW.

“The support from the NSW Government for these Olympic Games qualification matches and the Socceroos' 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers provides fans with fantastic opportunities for them to support our national teams at top quality stadiums,” he said.

“The Central Coast area in particular has a great tradition of supporting our national teams when they have played at Central Coast Stadium and I’m sure that our upcoming match against Iraq will be no different.”

Tickets for the match will go on sale from 9am on Friday 3 February.

The Championships follow the 2012 FFA National Futsal Championships and will be held between 21 and 26 February 2012.

“From the group we have selected, we have a very good balance of youth and experience,” said Knight.

“We will have a number of training sessions over the next couple of weeks before the final selection is made later next month.

“We know that our opposition in ASEAN is always improving and we are expecting some very tough matches, but I believe that the boys will be up to the challenge,” he concluded.

The side has been placed alongside Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam in Group B of the ASEAN qualifiers for the AFC Championship. It will face off against Cambodia on 21 February (kick-off 4:30pm local, 8:30pm AEDT), followed by Malaysia on 22 February (kick-off 7:00pm local, 11:00pm AEDT) with its last group match against Vietnam on 23 February (kick-off 5:00pm local, 9:00pm AEDT).

The top three teams from the ASEAN qualifiers will progress to the AFC Futsal Championships 2012 to be held in the United Arab Emirates in May.

Futsalroos train-on squad: Shervin Adeli (Enfield Rovers, NSW), John Barrientos (North Melbourne Futsal Club, VIC), Jarrod Basger (Maccabi Hakoah, NSW), Alastair Bruce (Dural Warriors, NSW), George Cattanach (Boomerangs FS, ACT), Robbie Cattanach (Boomerangs FS, ACT), Roger Cua (ACT Cobras, ACT), Fernando De Moraes (North Melbourne Futsal Club, VIC), Miles Downie (Sydney City Eagles, NSW), Daniel Foggarty (West City Crusaders, NSW), Daniel Fulton (Boomerangs FS, ACT), Greg Giovenali (Dural Warriors, NSW), Andres Gomez (Sydney City Eagles, NSW), Renagi Ingram (No current club, QLD), Simon Keith (Campbelltown Quake, NSW), Raymond Miller (Sydney City Eagles, NSW), Danny Ngaluafe (No current club, QLD), Gavin O'Brien (Campbelltown Quake, NSW), Tobias Seeto (Dural Warriors, NSW), Peter Spathis (Sydney City Eagles, NSW), Keiran Stroh (Boomerangs FS, ACT), Mark Symington (Campbelltown Quake, NSW), Lachlan Wright (Enfield Rovers, NSW).

The Liberian refugee, who has been touted as a future Socceroos prospect once he has fulfilled citizenship requirements, was an instant hit in a short trial at the two-time A-League champion and his manager and advisor, Buddy Farah, is close to agreeing terms with Victory until the end of the season with an option for two more years.

Born in Sierra Leone, Davies arrived in Perth as an 11-year-old from the refugee camps of Liberia, and is back in Australia to continue his football education after two years in Bayern Munich’s youth system before last June departing to Bundesliga rival Hoffenheim on a two-year deal.

Though a regular in its under-19 team, the highly-regarded striker decided to return to Australia at the behest of former Marconi and Olyroos defender Farah who believes A-League experience will fast-track his future.

The lightning quick 17-year-old also has the incentive of qualifying to play for his adoptive homeland once he has amassed a full five years of residence here, having fallen six months short when he decamped to Germany.

He has come back with Hoffenheim’s blessing with Farah proclaiming that, given the opportunity at Victory, he is poised to become an emerging force on the local landscape.

“I can go on record with that because he is that promising,” Farah told The World Game.

“He has been offered a verbal deal and it’s now about going through the paperwork.

“At this stage I am very impressed by what the club has done for him a support they have offered him.

“He’s been there two weeks and has been extremely impressed by the new coach Jim Magilton and the whole setup.

“He hasn’t looked out of place there and that has come from the coaching staff and the players.”

Farah also said that FFA has been supportive and is pushing his cause with FIFA regarding his eligibility to play for Australia .

“They are doing all they can and that’s been very helpful. I think there’s recognition out there that he is a real emerging talent.

“There is no other young player on the horizon here with his qualities. He is fast technical and can beat a player.”

“He loves to run at players and is fast with the ball at his feet. “The only thing he needs guidance and support and then hopefully he will flourish.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he got some A-League game time before the end of this season but he has to go out and keep improving and doing the right things.

”A deal expected to be concluded later this week with Victory clearly seeing Davies as a player who can be molded and fashioned into the finished product as it seeks to add some youth to its striking stocks.

Sydney finished the game with 10 players while coach Alen Stajcic was locked and guarded in the dressing room after being dismissed from the sidelines in the second half.

Trailing 1-0 after 18 minutes, Brisbane super-sub Emily Gielnik equalised with less than a minute remaining in injury time at the Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre And following an action-packed period of extra-time, the hosts completed the stunning comeback with a 4-3 shootout triumph.

Moments after Brisbane's equaliser, star Sydney forward Kyah Simon - arguably the visitors' best player - slid in with a frustrated tackle on Vedrana Popovic, earning a second yellow card.

Stajcic exploded, voicing his displeasure to officials, who ordered him off the sidelines. It was his second outburst of the match after he complained to officials following Gielnik's goal.

The drama continued when Stajcic continued to relay messages to his assistants from the stands, and had to be escorted to the dressing rooms and held under guard by ground security officers.

Estelle Johnson and Teresa Polias were the unlucky women to miss from the spot for Sydney, while Tameka Butt, Kim Carroll, Brooke Spence and Aivi Luik all converted for the Roar.

Gielnik, who was introduced at half-time, made an immediate impact on the game, providing her midfield a strong target and capping off a great half with her last-gasp equaliser.

"It's indescribable more than anything ... I don't know what I was feeling but in a second everyone came and ran and smothered me," said Gielnik.

"It feels phenomenal; one-nil down and under the pump and then to get a goal in the dying seconds and to know we're in the final.

"There's always been a lot of drama between us and the Sydney girls. They're a great bunch of girls but of all the teams, they're the one that love to give us a fight.

"The victory means Brisbane have now made every grand final in the competition's four-year history, while Sydney miss their first decider in three years.

After a string of probing Sydney free kicks and near misses through the first quarter of an hour, the opener came through Renee Rollason's clinical header.

With Roar's regular goal-shark Butt being marked out of the contest, Brisbane's best chance of the first half came at the 26th minute, with Joanne Burgess latching on to a bobbling clearance and grazing the post with a left-foot lash from the top of the area.

Brisbane and Canberra will face off in the nation's capital on Saturday.

Canberra was undefeated throughout the league season but was made to work overtime against Victory, triumphing thanks only to a deflected goal credited to the league's leading scorer Michelle Heyman seven minutes from full-time.

The win means the nation's capital will host the W-League decider for the first time, with the opponent to be the victor of Sunday's second semi-final between league heavyweights Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC.

"It was a good and really open game," said Canberra coach Jitka Klimkova.

"Melbourne created many chances and we created so many chances.

"We said (at half-time) we needed to be more aggressive and more direct and I think it worked well in the second half.

"But I said 25 minutes before the end of the game that we would win the game in the 90 minutes.

"I am so proud to see so many people here for such a great contest. This game was a celebration of women's football."

Melbourne settled into its groove early and showed no signs of its scratchy finals debut last season, when it crashed 5-1 against Sydney FC.

Victory had several early attempts on goal forcing Canberra goalkeeper Lydia Williams into action while striker Jodie Taylor was guilty of missing a number of gilt-edged chances for the visitor.

However Canberra slowly gained control before completely dominating the second half with parity maintained thanks only to a combination of poor finishing and some fine saves from Victory shotstopper Brianna Davey.

Heyman had a header narrowly ruled out for offside just after the break while teenager Hayley Raso then powered a header just over the bar.

Finally the breakthrough came as the prolific Heyman scored her 13th goal of the campaign and the most important of her season to date with an ambitious drive from 25 metres deflecting off defender Rebekah Stott and looping over the unfortunate Davey.

There was still time for Heyman to hit the crossbar with the last kick of the game as United finished with a wet sail.

Nathan Sherlock replied for the home side, but the win was enough for Gold Coast to edge closer to third-placed Sydney FC.

While United became the first side to go through the league's 10-match season undefeated, it was Melbourne who came closest to ending that run with Canberra needing a late equaliser to earn a share of the points last month.

Canberra though has been dominant at its Belconnen home ground, comfortably defeating Victory at the venue earlier in the season.

United midfielder Sally Shipard says the host is optimistic of repeating that feat and claiming home advantage for the season decider the following weekend.

"We will be concentrating on what we have been doing all season and if we do that there is no reason why we can't keep our winning form," said United's Matildas midfielder Shipard.

"Having said that we don't want to rest on our past results so we won't be overconfident.

"We also have great depth in our squad this season, that won't be an issue.

"We will try and use our home advantage, but we can't rest on our past results because Melbourne Victory have been building all season and we need to continue stepping up."

Canberra will be without dual international Ellyse Perry, due to cricket commitments with Australia's national side, while a knee injury will again prevent Matildas forward Caitlin Munoz from taking the field.

The victor will win through to the grand final and a meeting with the winner of Sunday's semi-final between Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC.

W-League heavyweight Roar has won all three previous editions of the competition but has been forced to take a back seat as Canberra led from the outset.

Aside from home ground advantage, Brisbane has history in its favour and should have a psychological edge on the back of a four-match unbeaten run against the Sky Blues.

It will be Sydney's second visit in a week to Brisbane, having lost 1-0 against Roar in a hard-fought final round meeting last weekend.

Nevertheless Sydney coach Alen Stajcic expects the match to be in the balance throughout.

"I thought we did OK last week and we are hoping we have quite a bit more in us this weekend," he said.

"It's definitely a 50-50 game once again, as has been the case over the years.

"I think a win always provides a little bit of a confidence but home ground advantage it is not that significant.

"We travel quite well and tend to do well away from home."

Canberra is set to host Melbourne Victory in the first Semi-Final at Canberra’s McKellar Park on Saturday (3pm kick-off AEDT) while Brisbane Roar and Sydney FC will fight out the second Semi-Final at QSAC (2pm kick-off QST), Brisbane on Sunday.

The winner’s from the two semi-finals will meet in the Westfield W-League 2012 Grand Final the following Saturday (January 28).

The semi-finals will feature many of Australia’s rising female football talent, who have been on show all summer and performing at a higher level than ever before.

Canberra has been the standout team this season, going through the regular season undefeated and winning seven of its 10 games.

Star striker Michelle Heyman has been one of the main reasons for the team’s success so far, scoring 12 goals on her way to winning this seasons Golden Boot award.

Heyman though is not content to rest on her laurels and is aiming to keep banging in the goals during the finals.

“This year we just planned to be a more attacking team so that’s it, just go forward and score,” said Heyman at the launch of the finals series in Sydney on Monday.

“Most the goals I scored were from the hard work of the other girls in our team so I am very grateful for that.

“It’s been an amazing team dynamic this year and I can’t wait for the match on Saturday.”

Melbourne though will take some confidence into the clash, having drawn against them just 3 weeks ago and losing narrowly in Canberra early in the season.

Young Melbourne Victory starlet Ashley Brown has this year witnessed her team progress significantly and they will look to go one better than its semi-final loss in last season’s finals series.

“We are a young team but we have a lot of experienced players as well and we’ve been together for a long time now so we’ve adapted to the way each other play and the formation that we play and everything is coming together really nicely,” Brown said.

“We just have to put it together on the day and prove that we can do it.”

Two-times Champions Brisbane Roar will again prove the biggest threat to Canberra, but face a tough home semi-final against Sydney FC.

The two teams fought out a tough battle in the final round at the same venue, with an unlucky own goal by Sydney’s Terasa Polias, proving the difference between the two teams

“The season definitely changed this year for us, there are a lot more competitive teams out there this year,” said Brisbane Roar’s Tameka Butt.

“We get pressure from the boys as well, they want to go back-to-back and we want to go back-to-back.”

“Playing this week against Sydney is going to be as much a mental game as a physical one. I think the ones with more experience will be more prepared for it.”

Sydney’s Kyah Simon is looking forward to once again playing a finals game against Brisbane, which interestingly has occurred W-League Finals Series to date.

“We have a great rivalry with the Roar and I’m sure this match will be close as there is not much separating our two teams,” Simon remarked.

“We’ve had a better run playing away from home than we have playing at home.

“It’s going to be tough having the Roar crowd there but I guess it’s what we have to deal with and we just have to play good football and block out the distractions off the pitch.”

Adelaide took the lead through Mariana Rajcic, but Victory hit back with goals from Katrina Gorry, Ashleigh Brown, Caitlin Friend and Kendall Fletcher.

Melbourne will take on Canberra United next Saturday at McKellar Park, Canberra, for a place in the final, while defeat condemned Adelaide to the wooden spoon.

Going into the final round, the Jets needed to beat Perth and hope Adelaide United could complete an upset by taking the three points against Melbourne Victory.

But goals to Katarina Jukic, Carys Hawkins, Elisa D'Ovidio and Marianna Tabain ensured Newcastle couldn't complete its end of the bargain.

Lisa De Vanna and Alanna Kennedy both scored late consolation goals for the visitor, which trailed 1-0 at the break before succumbing to a second-half Glory onslaught in a heated and entertaining match.

It was the sixth win of the season for Mike Mulvey’s side.

Anthony Proia gave the AIS a shock lead on five minutes but Lucas and Barker-Daish struck twice in five minutes before Benjamin Garuccio made it 2-2 inside the first half an hour.

Barker-Daish put Gold Coast ahead again before Josha Barresei put the AIS on level terms again.

Cooper made it 4-3 when he deftly slid the ball home after 76 minutes and sealed the match with another goal in injury-time.

The Sky Blues required a victory to leapfrog Roar and take hosting rights for next week's semi-final between the two rivals.

The two teams went chance for chance throughout an exciting 90 minutes and could only be separated by Terasa Polias's deflection into her own net in the 32nd minute.

An enterprising run from Brooke Spence provided the breakthrough when she played a dangerous pass to a swarm of supporting teammates, forcing Polias to slide in and lob her goalkeeper.

The Argentine legend was expected to travel to Australia for ticketed shows in Melbourne and Sydney later this month where he was to be interviewed about his colourful life and career by SBS host Les Murray.

But a late fixture change by the United Arab Emirates football federation means the Al Wasl Football Club coached by Maradona will now play a game against Al Sharjah on 24 January.

That forced Maradona to reschedule his tour until after the completion of the UAE Pro League in late May to avoid further conflicts.

The visit will be Maradona's first to Australia since he captained Argentina against the Socceroos in Sydney in a 1-1 World Cup qualifier in 1993.

It was over that home and away tie that Maradona courted controversy last year by claiming Argentine players had been given a performance enhancing substance prior to the return leg in Buenos Aires, which was won 1-0 to qualify for the 1994 World Cup at Australia's expense.

Maradona accused FIFA vice-president Jilio Grondona, the head of Argentina's Football Association, of knowing about the doping.

The 1986 World Cup-winning captain will now hold a show at Sydney's Allphones Arena on Tuesday 29 May and the following night at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.

All ticket holders from the postponed January shows can use their tickets for the new dates while refunds will be available until 18 January.

It was a red letter day for the side from the nation's capital, which became the first club to complete the regular season undefeated, with the scoreline a record winning margin for the club.

Canberra's win was never in doubt after the league's leading scorer Michelle Heyman bagged a first-half double.

Heyman is on 12 goals for the season, four clear of Melbourne Victory's Jodie Taylor in the race to be crowned the league's top goalscorer.

Canberra rounded out the match with a flurry of late goals as American import Taryn Hemmings struck twice in quick succession while Ashleigh Sykes scored in injury time.

"We deserved to finish top but we know it is not over yet," said Canberra coach Jitka Klimkova.

"At the beginning of the season we set a goal of winning the grand final and that has not changed.

"After this game we are really confident because our goal was to start strong and finish even stronger, so we feel confident going into the finals."

With a bye in the final round, Canberra will have an extra week to prepare for its maiden home semi-final, with the identity of the opponent yet to be determined.

Brisbane Roar is favourite to to host the other semi-final after confirming a fourth successive finals appearance with a tenacious 3-1 victory against Newcastle Jets.

Brisbane was forced to work overtime before quelling the Jets and a draw looked on the cards until substitute Emily Gielnik scored twice in the final 20 minutes.

Linda O'Neill drew the Jets level just after half-time following Lana Harch's opener in an action-packed and high-quality match.

Brisbane faces Sydney FC next week with second spot up for grabs after the Sky Blues cruised to a 3-0 victory on the road against Perth Glory.

Kyah Simon scored twice as Sydney took control early but a scoreless second half meant there was to be no repeat of last month's record breaking 11-0 victory over Glory.

Melbourne Victory, which had the bye on the weekend, will claim the remaining finals berth with a win in next week's final round against cellar dweller Adelaide.

Both sides were looking for a win with the Jets needing victory to force a semi-final spot while Roar was looking to consolidate a top-two position.

Roar grabbed the lead via winger Lana Harch on the half-hour but Newcastle struck back early in the second half through attacking midfielder Linda O’Neill to make it 1-1.

However a late brace from Roar substitute Emily Gielnik handed Brisbane the points.

AIS scored in only the third minute through a clever Yianna Perkatis and Anthony Proia hit a nice long-range goal before Perth struck back when Brendan O’Neill scored with a curling shot.

Perth then scored an excellent team goal through Tommy Amphlett.

Perth made it three in a row in the 40th minute when Storm Roux ran towards goal and cut the ball back to an unmarked Ndumba Makeche, who tapped in an easy goal.

Less than three minutes into the second half, AIS levelled through a great finish from Ben Garuccio.

But the match took another turn in the 57th minute when Makeche nodded home his second goal.

However Proia levelled for AIS.

Striker Michelle Heyman continued her stellar form for Canberra with a brace, taking her season tally to 12 goals, with Taryn Hemmings scoring two of her own to seal the match.

Ashleigh Sykes made it five for Canberra with the last kick of the game, finishing well from a difficult angle on the right.

With a handful of first team players in its side, the home side hit the front after four minutes when Adriano Pellegrino found the back of the net.

Gold Coast started slowly, before Jake Barker-Daish replied for the visitor with a free-kick that took a wicked deflection into the net.

Gold Coast dominated the remainder of the half, but failed to make the most of its dominance and Brad McDonald scored the winner on the hour mark.

Barnes, 57, passed away on New Year’s Eve.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) announced that fans at A-League matches this Wednesday 4 January will be invited to commemorate the career of Murray Barnes by joining a formal moment of applause prior to the match. Players will wear black armbands in his memory.

“Murray Barnes blazed a trail as a junior product of Sydney’s northern suburbs who went on to captain his country with distinction in a FIFA World Cup campaign,” FFA CEO Ben Buckley said.

“He will be remembered as a fierce competitor and as a proud Australian. On behalf of the football community, our condolences go to the Barnes family and friends.”

Murray Barnes was the 24th captain of the Socceroos. He played 51 times for Australia, scoring nine goals. He was appointed captain for the Socceroos campaign for the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and led the team on nine occasions in 1980 and 1981.

Barnes made 225 appearances, scoring 60 goals in the NSL for his only club, Sydney City Hakoah. He played in the inaugural season of 1977 and remained a regular until 1987. He won four championships - 1977, 1980, 1981 and 1982.

Born on 16 January 1954 in Sydney, Murray Barnes played his junior football in the Ku-ring-gai district in the northern suburbs.

He joined Sydney City Hakoah and made his first senior appearance with the then NSW State League club aged 17.

He then spent a year in England at Leeds United, where he played with the Leeds youth team, and upon returning to Australia was thrust immediately into the Sydney City senior side.

A tall, strong and aggressive player, he was predominately a midfielder but often played in attack and occasionally in defence.

Barnes was a virtual ever-present in each of Sydney City's championship-winning seasons.

Throughout this time he scored plenty of goals, and was Sydney City's second highest goalscorer in 1977 (12 goals) and 1980 (10).

At the international level he was first selected to play for an Australian side in an under 23 team tour of Indonesia in 1974. He made his senior international debut against China in 1975, when coach Tony Boggi was bringing in a new breed of Socceroos after many international retirements after the 1974 World Cup.

Later in 1975 he played five games against the touring Soviet Union team, where he managed to score in the 3-2 loss in Sydney. Throughout the ill-fated 1978 World Cup qualifiers he became more a fringe national team player after Jim Shoulder had replaced Brian Green in mid-1976.

Barnes regained his regular starting position under Rudi Gutendorf, who took charge of the Socceroos from 1979, and participated in the national team's gruelling 1980 world tour where he took part in matches against the Greece, England B, Israel and Indonesia.

Gutendorf promoted Barnes to national captain for the ultimately unsuccessful campaign for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He finished his top flight career with Sydney City in 1987 when the club became defunct after one round of that year's national league.

The Jets led 2-0 at the break thanks to goals from Gema Simon and Nicole Bolger, and although the home side pulled one back through Renee Rollason in the second half the visitor held on for all three points.

Simon opened the scoring in the 11th minute, beating Sydney goalkeeper Allison Lipsher after being sent clear by Emily van Egmond, and Bolger doubled the lead before half-time.

Rollason got Sydney back into the game with 20 minutes remaining, netting after being set up by Caitlin Foord, but fifth-placed Newcastle (12 points) held on to upset third-placed Sydney (14 points).

Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) on Thursday served FFA with legal papers on behalf of Culina - reportedly suing them for $1.7 million - after it was revealed that the midfielder had not been insured since his return to the A-League in 2009 with Gold Coast.

PFA claims in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement, FFA has to ensure that insurance is in place to cover wages for at least two years in the event a player is injured.

FFA hands this responsibility to the clubs in their licence agreements, but the players' union is arguing the FFA still has the responsibility to make sure the premiums are paid by the club.

"The PFA is trying to make out that this situation involving Jason Culina can be boiled down to a dispute between FFA and Jason over insurance," said FFA Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications, Kyle Patterson.

"This assertion is a red herring, a quite mischievous distraction from what's happening. You have to question the PFA's motives in running this line through the media.

"Our advice is that the Newcastle Jets have been meeting their obligations under Jason's contract, as they should.

"We also understand that Jason is working hard on his rehabilitation in order to get back into action."

And while FFA would not discuss Culina's case specifically it made a point of clarifying the terms regarding insurance for marquee players in the A-League.

"Any club that decides to contract a marquee player does so knowing they are responsible for all costs, including insurance, and any liabilities arising from that engagement," FFA disclosed in a statement.

"The cost of marquee players, as with the benefits, rest with the individual club, not the FFA or the A-League or other clubs."

Culina sustained a serious knee injury representing the Socceroos in January, while he was contracted to Gold Coast.

After surgery, he signed a three-year $2.65 million deal with Newcastle but was ruled out indefinitely before even playing a game for his new club after suffering an injury in the pre-season.

Just four days out from the start of the A-League season in October, the Jets announced it had sacked his coach and father, Branko Culina, and would seek to have Jason's multimillion-dollar contract "set aside" amid fears he would never play again.

Sam Conway, a left-sided midfielder who was brought up in Kissing Point, is expecting to be offered a full-time contract by second division Banik Most when he returns to the club in January.

Conway, 20, is enjoying a Christmas holiday with his family while the Czech season is in its winter break.

A full-time contract would be just reward for ambitious Conway, who has had to do it the hard way and all on his own because he does not have an agent.

He has had to overcome homesickness, a knockback from Sydney FC and an injury that kept him out of the game for six months at a time when he was struggling to establish himself as a footballer.

”When I go back to Most I should be offered a professional contract,” Conway said.

”I arrived at the club in August of this year and straight away I went on loan to a third division club.

”I trained with Banik in the morning and in the afternoon I trained with Ceska Lipa, which is a three-hour drive from Most.

”Banik are happy with me after playing four games in the first team.

”I'm not sure what they will offer me.”

A professional contract would be a quantum leap from the days Conway fell in love with the game by playing for fun in Sydney's north shore.

“My dad was a coach and introduced me to football at the age of six and he coached me till I was 16,” he said.

”I was playing just locally at Kissing Point for a long time with my mates and after a few years I got an offer to play in the NSW Super League.

”I did not take it because I wanted to keep playing with my mates but when I got a bit older at 16 or 17 I knew I wanted to actually make a career out of football.

”So I did some research on the Internet about what I could do overseas.

”At 18 I discovered the FootballCV Academy, which is a private English organisation in Northamptonshire designed to produce professional players.

”I went on a trial along with 100 boys that included competitive games in the Conference and friendlies against youth teams from the Premier League.

”Near the end of it in mid-2009 the academy offered me a month's trial in the Czech Republic with Banik Most.

”That was it and I got into Banik's under-19s side and played several matches.

”But I was too young and after a few games I made a bad decision to come home because I was homesick.

”When I came back I was training with Steve Corica at Sydney FC's academy and playing in the youth team in 2010 but he did not sign me because I think he had a full squad.

”To make matters worse I injured my groin and did not play for a good six months.

”I put on a bit of weight and I lost my touch.

”But I knew I wanted to go back to Europe so I had to get my confidence up.

”I played the 2011 season at Spirit FC in the Super League while working for my father before I was given a second opportunity at Banik through his chance meeting with a former professional in the Czech Republic.

”I do not have an agent who looks after me and I would like to thank my parents Tony and Edwina for supporting me all these years.

”It also was hard to get to know people who did not know me.

”The most common questions I have been asked are 'Where do you come from, who did you play for?'

”And I don't mean just overseas, I was asked that question by Sydney FC too.

”I've come from nowhere, partly because I started (taking the games seriously) rather late.”

Conway will give it his best shot in his second stint with Banik Most.

And if all goes well, he will not be the “nowhere man” for too much longer.

And he won't be on his own any more, either.