Gallop tells Tinkler to move quickly or else
By IAN McCULLOUGH and JAMES GARDINER
Feb. 3, 2015, 9:30 p.m

FOOTBALL Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop has ordered Jets owner Nathan Tinkler to get the A-League club’s house in order or face the consequences.

The FFA issued the Jets a show-cause notice on Monday after Tinkler missed a January 31 deadline to pay well in excess of $500,000 to creditors.

The formal issue of a notice is the first step towards revoking the club’s licence.

The governing body did not detail how long Tinkler had to settle the debts and fix operational issues, but it was clear it wanted immediate action.

‘‘We’ve had concerns about the state of the club for some time now,’’ Gallop said on Tuesday. ‘‘We’ve given the club formal notice around their financial position and we need to put things in place quickly.

‘‘It’s our responsibility to make sure that the club is aware of its obligations and fills those obligations in a timely manner. The consequences are obvious.’’

Already without a chief executive after Robbie Middleby and chairman Ray Baartz quit last month, Tinkler moved last week to sack five senior players and let go three members of the coaching staff.

Assistant coach Michael Bridges has left and Argentine striker Jeronimo is believed to want out.

Championship-winning assistant coach Mark Jones has returned and former Olyroos winger Travis Cooper and South Korean left back Lee Ki-je signed short-term deals on Tuesday.

Gallop said the way the club was being run was not up to the standard of a professional sporting organisation.

‘‘We’re the controlling body of the sport and we’re entitled to require our clubs to operate in a sustainable and responsible way,’’ he said.

‘‘If that doesn’t happen, there are steps we can take. We’re not at that stage yet.

‘‘We’ve given the club time to manage its affairs, but that can’t be timeless.’’

Tinkler said last week that he was willing to pay the Jets’ debts, but only if the FFA paid him back $5million he claims he is owed, believing he was overcharged when he took over the club from Con Constantine in 2010.

The Newcastle Herald reported in May 2012 that Tinkler had paid FFA a $3.5million acquisition fee when he took over.

Tinkler tried to hand back the licence over the fee before reaching a compromise at a meeting with FFA chairman Frank Lowy in a Brisbane airport hangar.

It is understood the compromise, including a settlement to Jason Culina, who was sacked in the first year of a three-year, $2.65million deal, was significantly less than the initial figure.

‘‘That issue is in the distant past, in our view,’’ Gallop said. ‘‘It’s subject to legally binding settlement agreements.

‘‘We certainly don’t expect there to be focus on that into the future and reject that suggestion and assertion, and that’s been made clear to the current owner. He’s given assurances that he is serious about fixing the club’s financial and operational problems.

‘‘We’ve indicated to him that he needs to now do things to put his words into practice.

‘‘We want to see the club fully staffed and operating in a manner that befits a team in a national competition.’’

After putting the Jets up for sale in August, Tinkler took the club off the market last month despite an approach from Dundee United, who would not meet the $5million price tag.

Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson is in Australia and keeping close tabs on the ownership developments.

United, who have posted a profit in four of the past five years, pocketed $3.9million on Tuesday after the transfer of midfielder Stuart Armstrong and winger Gary Mackay-Steven to Celtic.

Tinkler appears to have the backing of fellow A-League owners. The chairmen are understood to have held an informal meeting where they agreed to support the former billionaire as long as he cleared his debts by the end of February.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/28...r-else/?cs=306
Strange to see the HAL owners backing Tinks, you'd think they'd pick their battles and allies a little better.