VICTORIAN state and lower league clubs' hopes of taking on Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart in an FA Cup-style knockout competition have been shattered after the game's governing body forbade the A-League clubs taking part in the inaugural Mirabella Cup.

The competition was launched this year to replace the Dockerty Cup, with around 150 clubs statewide looking to pull off the ultimate giant-killing act against the A-League sides, who were given a bye until the quarter-finals.

That stage of the tournament has yet to be reached, but Victory and Heart will not be there after Football Federation Australia ruled that they should not be involved.

The peak body fears that its own efforts to set up a nationwide FFA Cup - modelled on the English competition - next year could be compromised by the Victorian tournament. It doesn't want the Victorian competition to erode its chances of gaining significant sponsorship revenue and media coverage.

Football Federation Victoria went ahead with its concept after initially being given the go-ahead to include the two local A-League teams, but an FFA spokesman yesterday said that the situation was now different.