Nick Bendel
Get Kewell!
August 19th 2011 08:19
Australian football desperately needs the answer to be yes – which is why the FFA needs to do everything in its power to make it happen.
Having Kewell return home while he was still in something approaching his prime would be the best thing to ever happen to the A-League.
His impact would easily trump that of the two men regarded as the most successful marquee signings in A-League history – Dwight Yorke and Robbie Fowler.
That’s because his return would offer something for everyone – hardcore fans, casual followers and people who don’t care about the game.
The hardcore fans would delight in the chance to regularly watch one of this country’s finest ever footballers.
The casual followers would take greater interest in a competition featuring someone so talented.
Even the anti-football people would be curious to see how one of Australia’s most famous athletes got on.
This was a point Sport: The Australian Disease first made two-and-a-half years ago:
Although it is always heart-warming to see Socceroos returning to Australia, the only current international who would ever be able to put bums on seats is Harry Kewell. Even if Kewell joins the A-League several years past his prime – and, realistically, that is the only time we could expect to see him here – the fame he enjoys, the skill he possesses and the manner in which he plays would be enough to garner attention.
The FFA did the right thing by investigating an innovative incentive-based deal, which would have limited the financial burden on the local game, while still giving Kewell the opportunity to cash in.
But the FFA has now apparently ruled out the offer proposed by Kewell’s manager Bernie Mandic, as it would have placed him in conflict with the A-League’s commercial partners.
If Mandic did suggest a contract that would have allowed Kewell to do deals with direct rivals to the A-League’s major sponsors, the FFA were right to reject it.
Major sponsors provide income that Australian football can’t do without, so they have to be treated like royalty. One-off exceptions can’t be allowed, because once a special agreement is reached with one player, others will demand the same.
However, if the FFA can’t be flexible in that area, they can be flexible in others. They may not be able to give Kewell the income he wants in one area, but that doesn’t meant they can’t help him get it in another.
The FFA won’t let Kewell do deals that threaten the A-League’s major sponsors. So why not chase acceptable deals on his behalf?
Kewell has demanded a certain percentage of the money raised from any extra ticket sales he inspires. The FFA has accepted this in principle – so why not offer to raise the percentage?
The FFA needs to be flexible and clever, because Kewell holds the upper hand – and he’s not ashamed to exploit it.
No one need take seriously the regular statements from Kewell and Mandic that the Socceroo star is devoted to Australian football.
If there’s one thing Kewell has proved in the last 15 years it is that Kewell is devoted solely to Kewell. His wallet can never be fat enough; his ego can never be stroked enough.
That’s why it never seemed credible he would be willing to return to Australia while he still had several good years left in him. But regular injuries have made him less attractive to good European clubs – and perhaps he also feels homesick.
So despite being only 32 and still in good form, he has seriously explored coming home. However, if he doesn’t get the money and pampering he thinks he deserves, he’ll head elsewhere. The Middle East is a serious possibility. Russia, apparently, is another option.
All reasonable steps must be taken to prevent that happening. The game’s powerbrokers shouldn’t be afraid to grovel. If they can make Kewell feel important enough, there’s a very good chance he’ll sign with Melbourne Victory or Sydney FC.
That would be the best thing ever to happen to the A-League.
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