FFA: Where will the money come from Ben?

Graham Arnold is still The Socceroos Coach. Whatever you feel about Arnie's coaching, any other national team having seen their side under-perform in the Continents major tournament, would have pushed Arnie aside, sacked him or indeed Arnie would have stood down.

It is clear where the difficulty lies.

The FFA have desperate desperate financial problems.

$15 million given by the Federal Government to get the new Board going, has long gone. And despite this money there is still no national league for women or Youth League for men.

The Technical Report completed and set to be released in June is now locked down for another few weeks or is that months.

Arnie has a three year contract, so paying him out would have been a massive cost to an FFA with limited funds.

And of course if rumours are true the FFA have gone back to the Government for another $4 million a year.

With an election coming up this may take time.

So why despite our World Cup success are we still struggling financially?

Well in a word it's Asia.

When plans were laid, when the Federal Government handed over their dosh to support the Board and the new A-League, there was no Asia.

At least not for Australia. That came later.

And of course the costs are perhaps to big to bear at the moment.

The Olyroos play their ninth Olympic qualifier in Qatar tonight with another five games to come.

The Matildas have also been on the Olympic path.

The cost of these two teams Olympic qualification games is over $2 million dollars.

How much would five weeks of hotels and flights and staff have cost The Socceroos at the Asia Cup?

All of these costs could not have been budgeted for in the original plan because we weren't in Asia in the original plan.

Is this why John O'Neill left?

So no wonder we are hamstrung with our National Coach. It's so bad that Arnie will take the Olyroos and then slip back into the National team post for Argentina and China games and then back to the Olyroos, because remember he has a three year post.

And what organisation would keep a guy in charge who they have wanted to replace since day one?

And what guy would stay? But that's another issue.

With the World Cup games coming wouldn't it be great to see a manager in place who could prepare the side.

But we have no money remember.

So hold the Technical Report. Why? Because we have no money to implement anything within it.

Oh and slip Rob Baan back into the Olyroos position while Arnie is away. Because that will help our qualification chances.

If we don't want to qualify that is what you'd do isn't it? Paly around with coaches mid-qualification. But given we've spent a truckload lets do it right and keep one coach in the job, and one only.

You couldn't make it up, could you?

Time to come clean FFA. The football public deserve to know the plan, the problems with our finances and the solutions.

What about the AIS team, the Under 17 and 20's teams. Are they being prepared well enough? Is there any money for them?

If the Federal Govt give us the money, and it's a big if what will it go on? Will it be enough?

Where are the other revenue streams?

Mr Lowy?

Sponsorship?

All the players across Australia. One million multiplied by $10?

Lottery?

Sell our AIS players?

And so on and so on.

Asia has drained the FFA. It's fantastic to be there but the FFA have no real chance of funding a National Coach now or maybe ever at this rate.

Will there be a Dick Advocaat really? In November or as other rumours suggest a year out from the World Cup.

Makes sense? We get through the first set of qualifiers with, you've guessed it Arnie, and then bring in the real Mccoy for the final tougher qualification games.

Because we're a shoe-in to beat teams like Iraq and Oman in our first set of qualifiers aren't we?

Where will the money come from to Fund Advocaat? If we don't have it now, how is the millions to fund his position just going to appear?

I think the Football public need some answers, real answers.

Where is the Technical Report?

Why doesn't the National Team permanent manager since the World Cup?

And perhaps most importantly how are we going to progress the code in Asia, locally when the money is not their to meet our growing travel needs.

Imagine if we don't qualify for the World Cup? Imagine if we don't make the final round of qualifiers?

It couldn't happen could it? We have too many EPL players don't we?

What's the story Ben (Buckley)?