Here We Go Again…

It wouldn’t be the off-season in recent times without some sort of ownership drama surrounding the Roar. For those unaware, here’s a little bit of a breakdown of what’s happened over the last few days.

Last week the FFA were expecting to hear from Brisbane director Demis Djamaoeddin about the owners plans to take the Roar forward last week, but he returned to Jakarta without doing so.

Amongst the reported concerns of the FFA are the lack of replacement for departed CEO David Pourre who left last month, the ongoing re-capitalisation of the Roar and the general direction the club is heading in.

Yesterday, FFA CEO David Gallop issued a 24hr ultimatum, demanding the Bakrie Group to outline their plans to address the current situation or risk being in breach of the club participation agreement.

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Today the FFA confirmed that the Indonesian group required an extra week to respond to the FFA’s concerns. A statement issued tonight by the FFA says that they are considering the request.

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The statement issued from the governing body bore similarities to the ones which were released last year during the clubs financial crisis, with deadlines set before backpedalling and allowing more time.

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Late this evening –Monday-, Brisbane Roar released a statement of their own, outlining that the FFA had reached out to the clubs owner Nirwan Bakrie and Chairman Rahim Soekasah in relation to their ownership of the Roar.

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The statement went on to say that the club is continuing to build towards the 2016-17 season and that the current administration and football department staff have no control over the current discussions.

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Both statements have been posted at the bottom of this for those who haven’t seen them.

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At the fan forum back in September, Head of A-League Damien De Bohun outlined that it was the FFA’s preference for the Roars current ownership group to remain, provided they met certain criteria along the way.

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Despite a successful season on the park and the , the events of the last week have at the very least tested the resolve of the FFA on that point of view, and it may yet have tipped them over the edge.

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The successful season the Roar experienced on the park had little to do with the clubs ownership, and the credit for what was achieved should be directed to the playing group, the football department and the front office staff here in Brisbane who worked extremely hard in difficult conditions to lay the foundations for what happened on the pitch.

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Off-field things had seemed to stabilise with the repayment of debts rumoured to be somewhere around the 4million mark, while the clubs former CEO David Pourre concluded a deal which will see the Roar’s training and administration base to the City of Logan at a purpose built facility.

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The departure last month of CEO Pourre, along with other key staff has been a huge loss, with few staff remaining to keep the club running. Off-field the club has been unable to launch memberships for next season to capitalise on the success of last season.

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The Roar’s football department have their own concerns, with the Roar currently operating in something of a holding pattern, with Aloisi and Football Operations Manager Craig Moore unable to plan out their recruitment and preparations for next season as they wait for direction from the clubs owners.

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While the scars of past FFA ownership remain for many long term Brisbane fans –massive ticket price increases being the most notable- as things stand it may prove to be the best option, at least in the short term.

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They are however still the current owners of the Newcastle Jets as they await the reported sale to a Chinese businessman, something which is no doubt playing on the FFA’s mind as they decide what to do with this situation.

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In the end however, it’s time for this to be resolved once and for all. If the current owners have a plan to take Brisbane Roar forward and are fully committed to it, they need to outline that plan immediately and begin to implement it.

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It remains to be seen if such a plan exists, or if they will be given the time to create and implement it.
FFA Statement on the situation at Brisbane Roar
“Football Federation Australia have released the following statement in regards to Brisbane Roar and the Bakrie Group.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) has today received correspondence from the Bakrie Group in relation to the Brisbane Roar FC, said an FFA spokesperson.

The Bakrie Group has requested an extension of seven days to address matters raised by FFA. FFA is considering the request for an extension.

FFA last week sought information from the Bakrie Group on the management and financial structure of the Brisbane Roar.”
Brisbane Roar Statement on the Ownership Situation
“In response to media speculation regarding the Brisbane Roar Football Club (BRFC), the club can confirm that Football Federation Australia has sent communications to the BRFC owner (Mr. Nirwan Bakrie) and Chairman (Mr. Rahim Soekasah) in relation to the current ownership of BRFC.

BRFC administration and football department staff have no control over these matters.

BRFC continues to build towards the 2016-17 Hyundai A-League season. Our current A-League squad will complete their training on Saturday 4th June, before commencing their annual break.

BRFC NPL and Women’s teams continue to play in their weekly respective competitions.”

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