sport, soccer

Defiant Canberra A-League bid leaders will speak with their investors and the Football Federation Australia board next week in the hope of keeping alive their dream of securing a team in the capital. Michael Caggiano and Bede Gahan were adamant Canberra was still a realistic chance of being admitted to the A-League in the coming years despite being overlooked for expansion on Thursday. The FFA opted to add third teams to Sydney and Melbourne - announcing the two successful bids were from Macarthur-South West Sydney and the Western Melbourne Group. But FFA chairman Chris Nikou singled out Canberra as an "attractive opportunity" for future expansion, giving Caggiano and his team a glimmer of hope to salvage their campaign. "I've asked them [if we're being strung along] and they've confirmed to me that they have no intention of stringing us along "They see a great deal of value on so many different levels about the investor group we've brought to the table, that it's too good an opportunity to just let sit there. They want to be active, which means meeting from next week. "The promise was that [the Canberra bid] had convinced them Canberra was absolutely a region for future expansion in the A-League. So much so they want to continue conversations." The danger, of course, is that Canberra has been in this situation almost a decade ago when the FFA assured former bid leader Ivan Slavich the capital was next in line for expansion. The promise fell flat and Canberra soccer fans have built up plenty of anger towards the FFA, who view the population as too small and the city as not attractive to broadcasters. Caggiano and his team, however, believe they can change that perception after adding significant weight from a major overseas sports consortium backer. The backers have made the bid attractive to the FFA but they want to remain anonymous until Canberra is granted a licence. The best avenue for that to happen could be the potential demise of the Wellington Phoenix, who have to meet certain metrics - including crowd figures - to keep their place in the competition. For now, FFA chief executive David Gallop said the "pluses and minuses" of the Canberra bid didn't stack up against adding extra teams in Sydney and Melbourne. Nikou added: "I wish to acknowledge the strength of all bids, including those that were unsuccessful on this occasion. "The expansion process has been long and extensive, with many passionate football people pouring every effort into their bid proposal. "We look forward to continuing discussions with unsuccessful bidders for future phases of expansion. In particular, we acknowledge on this occasion that a license has not been granted to the Canberra region. "We do, however, continue to view Canberra as an attractive opportunity for potential future expansion. "At this point that's not the fullstop for the expansion process ... it's an ongoing dialogue. We'd like to keep it on the agenda." The addition of new teams in Sydney and Melbourne was a shattering moment for the capital's soccer community after Slavich's bid was overlooked in favour of the Western Sydney Wanderers in 2009. Canberra was one of six bids battling for two expansion licences this year, and the capital's team signed 8000 members, secured ACT government support and the backing of an overseas consortium. Caggiano said the bid had already spoken to its investors and was confident they would continue their backing for future expansion plans. "It wasn't the decision we wanted, everyone is feeling a bit down," Caggiano conceded. "But if you look into the FFA press release, there is cause for optimism for Canberra. We are the bid that's been called out [for the future]. "That message is not about if, but when Canberra will be in the A-League. THat's the conversation we're moving to now with the FFA, which is an exciting thing to come out of a disappointing start to the day."

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