Buckley won`t rush A-League expansion

FFA boss Ben Buckley insists the A-League won't suffer if it goes ahead with just 11
clubs next season and admits that all the remaining bidders for the extra licence
still have work to do to meet the financial criteria.
The planned expansion of the 10-team competition to 12 has been clouded in recent
days by developments affecting a couple of the bidders for a western Sydney team.
Last week businessman Joe Meissner withdrew his bid, while doubts surfaced over the
future of another western Sydney bid team which was connected to murdered Sydney
businessman Michael McGurk who was reportedly involved in raising funds for a
franchise backed by Socceroos skipper Lucas Neill.
Bidders from Canberra and Wollongong are vying with western Sydney to join a second
Melbourne franchise in a proposed 12-club 2010-11 competition.
Buckley said on Tuesday the FFA still aspired to a 12-team competition for next
season and believed there was a "great opportunity" for a team in western Sydney.
However, he stressed the FFA would still be prepared to go ahead with an 11-team
competition.
"We've always said and maintained that if the current bidding consortia can't meet
the criteria that we set - and we make no apologies for setting some very strict and
prudent criteria particularly in relation to the financial capacity of the teams -
that we would go forward with 11 teams," Buckley said.
"I don't think the competition will suffer from that in the short term. Ideally we
want to get to 12 teams, but we will do that when it's right and appropriate and the
prospective (bidders) have met all the criteria."
Buckley stressed the participation of a 12th team would be dependent on it being
well financed and meeting the strict financial criteria set down by his
organisation.
"The remaining (western Sydney) bids still have some work to do on satisfying us
that they have the financial capacity to sustain a team," Buckley told reporters on
Tuesday.
"Those criteria and benchmarks haven't been reached yet, but we still believe that
there's some time to go before we have to make a decision relevant to next year."
Buckley said he recognised the opening of the A-League transfer window on October 1
offered guidance as to what time-frame the FFA had for its decisions about the
composition of the 2010-11 competition.
"Having said that, if we look at the evolution of the A-League, Wellington Phoenix
got up in three months and put together quite a competitive team that was well
supported by the local community," Buckley said.