The coronavirus outbreak has stirred up an air of doubt in regards to what tomorrow holds for Australia.
The Federal Government announced a series of new, stricter measures to avoid widespread contamination and now, after a recent announcement by the FFA for the postponement of A-League matches until at least the 22 April, the threat of the National Premier Leagues (NPL) being pushed back even further seems likely.
Last Sunday, during Rythmos radio station’s new sports show “I Megali Kerkida” (“The Grand Stand”), Football Victoria (FV) CEO Peter Filopoulos shared his optimism that a solution could be found to avoid that outcome and football would continue being played in the state despite the difficult circumstances.
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“Coronavirus isn’t a problem just for football, it is a worldwide community issue that unfortunately has arrived on our shores,” Mr Filopoulos said. “We need to remain calm and I am positive that if there are good intentions by all members involved and we remain united, then we can find an appropriate solution.”
Mr Filopoulos didn’t leave out the possibility of extending the season until November, as long as the clubs are willing to agree to this.
“We’ll re-examine the situation on 14 April. I admit that in only a week after the postponement of all leagues things have only gotten worse, however I still believe that even we need to move to push the season back even further, we can still avoid the cancellation of the season, as long as we’re all in agreement.”
Mr Filopoulos didn’t neglect to talk about how far the Victorian NPL has come in these last few years, stating that after the A-League, it is without doubt the greatest football league the country has to offer.
Furthermore, he once again pointed out his stance in support of the creation of a National Second Division, an opinion he had shared in his previews interviews with Neos Kosmos.
“I believe that we’re ready at this point, because I firmly believe in (FFA) chairman Chris Nikou and all the members of the Board of Directors,” he said. “Finally, the Federation has found a capable person with experience in football, the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) James Johnson, with whom I maintain contact almost on a daily basis and he seems to be in full support of kicking off the Second Division. Both myself and FV chairperson Kimon Taliadoros have played an important role in the development of this new national league, but also in several other key developments that need to be made in football.”
In closing, Mr Filopoulos also shared a message for the Greek clubs that all have a rich history both within the community and the sport itself:
“I would be extremely happy if we see the historical clubs of our community such as South Melbourne Hellas, Heidelberg United or any other team participate in this new league. The only thing I would like to point out is that all interested parties need to work hard on their finances starting now in order to be at a good point for a league with much higher demands.”