THE Harry Kewell sponsorship saga is set to roll on this week with Football Federation Australia consulting lawyers to see what action it can take to prevent the local game's biggest name from embarking on a campaign of 'ambush' marketing of the sport's main commercial backers.

Kewell made waves on Sunday when he cruised around the Phillip Island track in a V8 Supercar and announced he was doing a sponsorship deal with Ford Australia — a direct competitor of the A-League's naming rights sponsor, Hyundai, which has pumped millions of dollars into the sport over the past six years.

FFA boss Ben Buckley was not impressed with Kewell's commercial move — nor advice from his manager, Bernie Mandic, that he would seek other opportunities in business sectors occupied by the FFA's major sponsors.

Buckley was reluctant to comment yesterday, save for confirming that legal advice was being sought over whether Kewell might have contradicted FFA regulations.

Mandic and Kewell appear to be attempting to exploit a loophole that allows players to sign commercial deals if they have not signed the standard player contract, which is a requirement before a player can turn out for his club in the A-League.