Kewell deal angers League

Kewell deal angers League

I'm sorry but what the f*ck did they expect to happen?

Kewell deal angers FFA

HARRY Kewell's love of flash Fords, V8 Supercars and revenue-generating sponsorship deals could put Melbourne Victory's new star signing on a collision course with the game's governing body, Football Federation Australia.

Kewell yesterday announced a sponsorship deal with Ford and its high-performance road car affiliate, Ford Performance Vehicles, which will make the Socceroo star an ambassador for the auto company.

But the FFA, which is sponsored by Hyundai, is less than impressed that the local game's highest-profile figure has done a deal that will see him spruik for a manufacturer that is in competition with the A-League's South Korean naming-rights sponsor.

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Hyundai, which has pumped millions of dollars into the A-League in its six years as major sponsor, is a key backer of the Australian game, alongside Qantas, Optus and Schweppes.

FFA boss Ben Buckley yesterday said Kewell and his manager, Bernie Mandic, were unlikely to stop at just a car company and would look to line up lucrative sponsorship agreements with other corporations.

''I have been informed by Bernie Mandic that Harry has and is contemplating entering into arrangements with competitors of our major sponsors,'' Buckley said. ''It's vital that the integrity of our commercial partners is maintained for the benefit of all players in the competition and the benefit of all clubs and the game more broadly.''

A-League players, who must sign a standard player contract before they represent their clubs, cannot do deals with competitor companies unless they can successfully argue that they were existing contracts entered into before they came to the A-League or signed the SPC.

Kewell made a commitment to play for Victory on August 20, the club chairman Anthony Di Pietro informing the media that the former Leeds and Liverpool man had come to an ''unconditional'' agreement with Victory.

Kewell arrived in Australia last Monday amid a whirlwind of media interest but he still has not signed the SPC.

The FFA believes that his reluctance to put pen to paper so far could be because of a desire to try to arrange individual sponsorship deals before the season kicks off on October 8 with Victory's clash with Sydney.

Some within the Victory camp also believe this is the most likely reason for the delay.

If any of those contracts turn out to be with companies that compete with the game's major sponsors, FFA officials expect Mandic to argue that they are pre-existing arrangements because they have been entered into before Kewell signed the SPC.

''There is provision in the collective bargaining agreement to recognise legitimate pre-existing agreements,'' Buckley said.

''But if agreements are entered into since the agreement to play for the club was made and the formalities of completing SPC have not been completed I would question the legitimacy of that approach.

''We will be reviewing this (Ford agreement) very closely.'' Until Kewell signs the SPC he will not be able to play in a league match for Victory.

He can take part in the pre-season friendly against Adelaide on Friday, but unless he has signed the SPC and it has been processed he will be regarded as a guest player or trialist.

The FFA's insurance does not cover him unless he signs the SPC, but Victory yesterday confirmed it had taken out policies to cover its star man in the short term for pre-season friendlies and also intra-club games.

Kewell yesterday did a hot lap of Phillip Island in the Ford Performance Racing Falcon of Bathurst-winning driver Will Davison and emerged all smiles.

''I have always loved V8 racing and for me FPV offers the ultimate performance range of cars to take on the world,'' Kewell said.

Victory fans don't seem to have a problem with this on 442 (unsurprisingly).

Energywatch to sponsor Victory. Schweppes are a sponsor of FFA. Schweppes own Gatorade. Gatorade = energy. Conflict to ensue...

The same bunch of Victory fans who were getting increasingly f*cked off when the whole Kewell contract saga was being played out?

Eat a dick, FFA.

On the Nix/A-League website.

Week one 155,000 pay T.V. foxsport  viewers tune into the Victory v sydney game.

Lets just give him a suite of gold armor encrusted with various gems and be done with it, make Palmer foot the bill.

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/225171,harry-kewells-rude-awakening.aspx

So Harry's saying that the reason he held out for so much cash is that he was informed that the A-League sucked, and now he feels stupid?

That's not what he said at all.

He said "the good thing is..."

Harry is absolutely crap!

From the Guardian:

Meanwhile � in Melbourne

Harry Kewell's summer move to Melbourne Victory came about, of course, because the Australian wanted "to give something back to the game there", rather than a desire for the easy life (though Liverpool fans will confirm his love of the latter). Three dire months later Kewell complained last week that the A-League "is not as easy as everyone made it out to be". "I've been hearing for the past six years that it's not like this or that," he said. "I've had a rude awakening � it's exactly the opposite." That's right, it is like this and that. But suddenly he's found his form, shining in the 1-1 draw with Adelaide United at the weekend. "Having played like Clark Kent, Kewell finally found his phone booth," reported The Australian. At Anfield he never shook off the kryptonite.

Victory marquees were worth 1.65 million more last year. Wonder what their figures will show this year with Harry there

"Player payments, at more than $4 million, were well in excess of the $2.35 million salary cap, although the difference can be accounted for by salaries for marquee players and top-up wages paid through the Additional Services Agreement allowance."

He's obviously worth the money though.

i'd rather drive a ford than a hyundai haha