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Soccer's civil war has intensified with Adelaide United chairman Greg Griffin demanding Football Federation Australia reveal all financial records relating to the country's failed bid to host the 2022 World Cup. A day after FFA chairman Steven Lowy shut down talks over a new A-League operating model, it has emerged Griffin threatened to take FFA to court if they did not open their books to the clubs following FIFA's release of the Garcia Report. AAP has obtained a copy of a letter, dated July 21, sent by Griffin to Lowy in which the ultimatum was made. The Garcia Report, published by FIFA in June, accused the FFA of making "improper payments" to influence those voting for where the 2022 World Cup would be hosted. It comes amid a worsening wrangle between the clubs and the governing body over how the money from football's new TV deal will be shared. Griffin, chairman of the Australian Professional Football Clubs Association, a lobby group set up by A-League clubs to represent their interests, had already requested a full forensic audit of FFA's finances be shared with the clubs after their proposal for a $4 million share of revenue to each club per year was turned down. But in the letter, Griffin widened the scope of that request to include any financial documents pertaining to the 2022 World Cup bid, arguing the Garcia Report had proved FFA acted against the interests of its members. "Monies have been paid over to persons that clearly treated those payments as incentives to secure their vote for the Australian bid," Griffin wrote, noting some of those involved in FFA's bid were still on staff or part of the organisation's board. "Not only have these findings shamed Australian sport but it causes any fair minded person reason to doubt the integrity of the FFA accounting practices which are not disclosed to any Member. "Put simply I believe that unless I and any other interested Member review the associated figures there can be no formal closure of the matter." With relations between FFA and the clubs at a low point, it looks increasingly likely that it will fall to a FIFA/AFC delegation next month to broker a compromise over deadlocked discussions for an expanded congress. If there is no resolution by November 30, FIFA will disband the FFA board and establish a 'normalisation committee' to run the sport in Australia. The twin issues of the FFA congress make-up and the funding battle with club owners are hampering the sport from addressing other pressing matters, including expansion of the A-League and the prospect of a national second division. The FFA has been approached for comment.
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