December 13 – Anthony Di Pietro (pictured) has resigned as a director of the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) amid the continuing fallout over the contentious decision to sell hosting rights for the title-deciding ‘Grand Finals’ to Sydney until 2025.
The Melbourne Victory chairman admitted his decision, effective immediately, was directly linked to the controversial move for the showpiece men’s and women’s matches to be a played in a single pre-determined host city.
“It has become clear that in order for me to act in the best interests of Melbourne Victory and football in Victoria, I needed to resign as a board member of APL,” Di Pietro said.
“My resignation was ultimately driven by the decision … that sees the next three grand finals being hosted in Sydney.”
“While I know first-hand the decision by APL was made with a view to growing the game and creating financial sustainability for the league, the fan and member sentiment has been overwhelming and I cannot support maintaining a decision which is not in the best interests of the loyal Melbourne Victory faithful and football.”
The A-League decider has previously been taken to all five major capital cities in the competition’s near-20-year history and the move to grant hosting rights to one city was met with a backlash from fans, some of whom promised a walkout during this Saturday’s derby between Melbourne’s two biggest clubs.
“To (CEO) Danny Townsend and the rest of the APL: You have until Saturday to reverse this decision or one of your biggest fixtures will be played in front of an empty stadium,” Victory fans group ‘Original Style Melbourne’ said on social media.
Melbourne Victory managing director Caroline Carnegie said the move was short-sighted given Australia’s success at the World Cup in Qatar.
“We have a unique opportunity to capitalise on the growth of the game following the successful Socceroos campaign, and in the lead into the Women’s World Cup in Australia next year, and to do that we need the professional game to flourish, with fans at the core of our thinking,” she said.
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