North Qld Fury lose major sponsor

Billionaire Clive Palmer has withdrawn his sponsorship support of embattled A-League
club North Queensland Fury but is on the verge of guaranteeing his backing for Gold
Coast United next season.
The Fury suffered yet another blow on Friday after they were told major sponsor
Queensland Nickel - a mining company owned by Palmer - would not renew its support
for the 2010/2011 season.
It casts further doubt on the future of the Townsville club, which is still
rebuilding after being bailed out by Football Federation Australia (FFA) following
revelations the club's founder Don Matheson suffered losses of around $4.5 million
in their inaugural season.
Interim Fury chief executive Archie Fraser said the club was disappointed and
surprised at the move but remained defiant, declaring it just "a little bump in the
road".
But while Palmer is withdrawing his support for the Fury, it is understood he is set
to pledge his commitment to his own club Gold Coast in the coming days.
United's future has been clouded since owner Palmer threatened to hand back the
club's license earlier this month because of insolvency.
FFA, which has endured a testy relationship with the mining magnate, had reportedly
been putting the pressure on Palmer to guarantee his support, threatening to go
ahead next season without the club.
The Fury, meanwhile, must now turn their attention to finding a new sponsor to
replace Queensland Nickel, whose support they had been counting on.
"This is disappointing for the club and comes as a surprise after what were very
positive discussions with the local senior management team at Queensland Nickel just
last week," Fraser said in a statement.
"I had a call from local management early today and shortly afterwards received a
letter stating the sponsorship would not be renewed for next year, despite recent
conversations that were open and positive.
But Fraser declared there was now an opportunity to secure new investment from
within Australia or abroad.
"This is just a little bump in the road and presents an opportunity for the club to
partner with a national sponsor who will grow with us over the next few years," he
said.
"The good news from this is it now opens up the opportunity to international and
national companies and sponsors who can benefit from a partnership with the Fury
brand, as we reposition and grow the Fury in the national sporting marketplace.
Asked the reasons for opting not to continue its sponsorship, Queensland Nickel said
in a statement it had "not been able to reach agreement about an ongoing partnership
moving forward."