The federations, whose public image took a battering during the interminable wars over the formation of a new Congress, will be in the firing line once more if the June 30 deadline for the decoupling of the A-League from FFA control is reached without resolution.

The states - who have a raft of unresolved issues and expectations in how a league run by the clubs should look - are playing hardball in what has become the A-League’s version of Brexit.

The worst possible outcome for the clubs would see the states use their voting power to stymie the transition - leaving FFA to administer the A-League for possibly another season.

FoxSports has already flagged that it will slash its support of “non-marquee sports” with former Socceroo turned pay-tv analyst Mark Bosnich detailing how viewership figures have “dropped off a cliff”.

Such an outcome would only fan fears of impending A-League Armageddon.

A highly-placed state federations source told The World Game that the two sides were still far apart with the clock ticking.

“A consensus is looking increasingly unlikely given the deadline,” said the source.

“They’re going to really struggle to get there.

“The sides are still at odds and the federations are looking to a public relations firm to manage their messaging, which was badly handed during the Congress Review Working Group deliberations.

“They don’t want to see a repeat of that.”

The federations, who claim to be in deficit in their existing financial arrangements with FFA, are seeking at least parity.

But they are also seeking to leverage a seat on the board of the new commission which runs the game, as well as an increased share of the financial cake generated by 346 million of TV revenue from Fox Sports - a deal which still has four seasons to run.

There are also issues over commercial rights, intellectual property and the relationship between professional clubs and the game’s grassroots.

The federations even want a say in how many visa spots should be allotted to the clubs.

But, despite the catalogue of ambit claims, the source said that it “ultimately all comes down to money”.

“At the moment we’re a net contributor to FFA,” he added.

“Our state contributes around $15 million and we get back about $12 million.

“We’d like to see that number reach parity. We don’t want to be to any worse off.

“The way things stand right now the states are not satisfied that we won’t be worse off.

“We want to use our funding to develop A-League and W-League players and create a scenario where it’s football for everyone.

“The sort of support required might not simply be about cash, it might encompass development programs, training facilities or access to players to coach academy kids.”

The owners, who have suffered $350 million in losses since the A-League’s inception in 2005, believe their pledge - through the New Leagues Working Group - to continue backing the states is more than fair.

And they believe their business know-how can drive more advantageous sponsorship and broadcast agreements which will ultimately trickle down to the game as a whole.

For once, the clubs and the FFA appear largely aligned, with the former claiming the competition can’t afford another year treading water.