Without trying to shovelling much more hyperbole on top of the already-steaming pile of discourse, tonight’s Sydney FC Fan Forum & Strategic Unveiling is one of the most important event in the club’s short history.

For Sydney FC members, tonight’s encounter with Sydney FC’s hierarchy will give them the chance to listen to and question the only decision-makers at the glamour club, who will be in the unenviable position of trying to sell a 3 year plan to the club which is almost half-way complete, while at the same time convincing the fans the remaining 18 months is worth bothering with.

The fans want this club to succeed, so they should give those who run it an opportunity to come clean on not just where the club is at, but just as importantly, where they think the club is at. While the events of the last fortnight have brought the club to the crossroads, tonight will be a major opportunity for club management to take the right path.

I will be live-tweeting tonight’s fan forum – using the hashtag #SydneyForum – as best as I can, as well as writing a feature article tomorrow for From The Stands, so as many Sydney FC fans as possible will know what transpires tonight.

Personally, I’m coming up with a few questions to ask, but will be saving most of my thinking until after the club’s had its chance to explain itself.

For those of you going, have you thought of your question(s) already? If you’re not going, what would you ask the club?

The post Sydney FC Fan Forum – Approaching the Crossroads appeared first on From The Stands.

Despite what has been a dismal season to date, Sydney FC are set to offer coach Frank Farina a contract extension – a lucrative deal which will see the former Socceroos tactician remain at the club for the next five seasons, From The Stands has learned.

The 49-year-old, whose current contract with the Sky Blues runs until the end of the 2014/15 season, took over the reins of the club in November of 2012 after the sacking of former coach Ian Crook. And his tenure to date has been marred by ugly clashes with fans and players alike.

Despite this, the club’s board are adamant that Farina is the ideal man to lead the club to the next level.

“Frank Farina is set to sign a lucrative offer which will see him remain at the club for years to come” an insider told From The Stands.

“Tony Pignata was absolutely delighted with their 5-0 win over Melbourne Victory a few weeks ago, and despite poor results since, the board believes the side’s flukey win is a sign of promising times ahead.”

Is the manager really that incompetent? The board seems to disagree…

Although his career at the Sky Blues has constantly come under the spotlight, the 49-year-old regularly appears on the list of ‘Top 500 Active Australian Managers’ and was recently named the 50th Best Manager to have “FF” as his/her initials.

And the club insider believes he is truly deserving of such a reward.

“We’re talking about a man who is mentioned in the same breath as great coaches such as Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho,” he continued.

“My client has chewed on more fingernails than most have had cereal for breakfast. He helped place Papua New Guinea on the footballing map with what was a successful spell. That’s invaluable experience right there!

“His time here at Sydney has gone better than anticipated, and if things continue in this vein, we could be in for one heck of a ride, with the club aiming to win an unprecedented 5th wooden spoon by 2020.”

Sydney FC is keen for Farina to put pen to paper as soon as possible. However, contractual talks have been rescheduled following news that Tony Pignata’s printer is suffering from chronic paper jam problems.

The post Exclusive: Frank Farina set for contract extension appeared first on From The Stands.

Australian based duo Mark Milligan (Victory) and Matt McKay (Roar)  are the only A-League based players in the squad meaning they will miss the opening round of the season.

Here is the 24 man Socceroos squad and match details.

Socceroos Squad for France and Canada International Friendly Matches – 11 & 15 October 2013

Oliver BOZANIC FC Luzern, Mark BRESCIANO Al Gharafa, Tim CAHILL New York Red Bulls, David CARNEY New York Red Bulls, Jason DAVIDSON SC Heracles Almelo, James HOLLAND FK Austria Vienna, Brett HOLMAN Al Nasr Sports Club, Jackson IRVINE Kilmarnock FC, Mile JEDINAK Crystal Palace FC, Josh KENNEDY Nagoya Grampus, Robbie KRUSE TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Mitchell LANGERAK (gk) B.V. Borussia 09 Dortmund, Matthew LECKIE FSV Frankfurt 1899, Matthew McKAY Brisbane Roar FC, Mark MILLIGAN Melbourne Victory FC, Lucas NEILL Omiya Ardija, Tommy OAR FC Utrecht, Sasa OGNENOVSKI Umm Salal SC, Tommy ROGIC Celtic FC, Nikita RUKAVYTSYA FSV Frankfurt 1899, Mat RYAN (gk) Club Brugge KV, Dario VIDOSIC FC Sion, Luke WILKSHIRE FK Dinamo Moscow, Rhys WILLIAMS Middlesbrough FC.

France v Socceroos Friday 11 October 2013 Parc de Princes, Paris, France Kick-off: 9.00pm CEST (6:00am AEDT)

Socceroos v Canada Tuesday 15 October 2013 Craven Cottage, Fulham, London, England Kick-off: 8.00pm BST (6:00am AEDT)

The post Socceroos Squad Announced – France and Canada appeared first on From The Stands.

World Football’s governing body claims that ‘there are no grounds’ for compensation to the losing bidders and dismissed the notion that a winter World Cup would be problematic

FIFA has rejected Football Federation Australia’s proposition that they be compensated after failing in their bid to win the rights to host the 2022 World Cup.

FFA chairman Frank Lowy claimed on Monday that staging the showpiece event during the winter months as to avoid the searing heat of the summer would prove to be problematic and would risk “making a bad situation worse”.

And despite growing speculation that the World Cup would be moved the winter months, FIFA’s spokeswoman has quashed the notion that losing bidder, Australia and the United States of America, would be compensated.

“As part of the bidding documents all bidders, including the FA Australia, accepted that the format and dates of the staging of the Fifa World Cup and Fifa Confederations Cup, though initially expected to be in June/July, remains subject to the final decision of the Fifa Organising Committee,” she told the Guardian.

 

“There is no ground for any speculations.”

Last month, FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke was quoted as saying “no, no, no” when asked about the prospect of compensating the losing bidders or professional leagues, broadcasters and sponsors who will most likely be affected by the move.

It has been confirmed that an executive meeting has been confirmed for October 3, with this very topic expected to feature prominently in their upcoming discussions.

Follow Cronan on Twitter: @Cronan_Yu

The post FIFA reject FFA bid for World Cup compensation appeared first on From The Stands.

Mifsud, 32, remains Malta’s most prominent footballer and is the country’s all-time top scorer, twice being crowned Maltese Sports Person of the Year during an international career that spans 13 years and has yielded 37 goals in 99 appearances.

With a Club career spanning FC Kaiserslautern (Bundesliga) and Coventry City (English Championship), Mifsud joins the Red and White with a recognised pedigree at club and international level, having last week started in narrow losses against Denmark and Bulgaria.

Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John Aloisi is excited at Mifsud’s arrival.

“Michael has scored goals at whatever level he has played at,” Aloisi said.

“He is an exciting footballer and will be a dynamic influence in our attack.

“As the captain of Malta, he has played against the very best teams in the world and held his own. It’s not easy to lead the line against the likes of Italy and Croatia, and test those defences, something which he has done regularly.”

Famous for scoring a double for Coventry City to knock Manchester United out of the Carling Cup, the Maltese captain helped his national team to the country’s first World Cup qualifying win in 20 years with a goal against Armenia last June.

Mifsud will wear the number 11 and is the 23rd player on the Club’s Roster.

Player Details
Name: Michael Mifsud
Age: 32
Height: 1.65m
Previous Clubs: Sliema Wanderers, FC Kaiserslautern, Lillestrom, Coventry City, Valletta

Follow @NNteris93 on twitter

The post Melbourne Heart FC sign Michael Mifsud appeared first on From The Stands.