APL board member and Melbourne Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro has announced he will be stepping down from his position on theAPL board, stating the move of the Grand Finals as a decisive factor.
Di Pietro made up one of five board positions amongst the A-League leader and was a part of the unanimous vote to move the Grand Finals to Sydney.
However, just 24 hours after the announcement became official, Di Pietro has backed away from the APL to focus on the “best interests” of Melbourne Victory.
“It has become clear that in order for me to act in the best interests of Melbourne Victory and football in Victoria, I needed to resign as a board member of APL," Di Pietro said.
“My resignation was ultimately driven by the decision announced yesterday, that sees the next three Grand Finals being hosted in Sydney.
"While I know first-hand the decision by APL was made with a view to growing the game and creating financial sustainability for the league, the fan and member sentiment has been overwhelming and I cannot support maintaining a decision which is not in the best interests of the loyal Melbourne Victory faithful and football."
"Our club isn't represented on the APL board, and we weren't consulted on the decision announced yesterday," United's statement read.
"While we are grateful to Destination NSW for wanting to support football financially and the APL's efforts to increase its commercial revenue, the reaction of our fans over the last 24 hours speaks volumes."
Reigning A-League Champions Western United have also come out and slammed the APL’s decision, claiming they didn’t have a vote on the move.
“We do not support the Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s, Liberty A-League Women’s or the E-League Grand Finals being played in Sydney for the next three seasons,” a statement read.
“Our Club isn’t represented on the APL board, and we weren’t consulted on the decision announced yesterday.
“While we are grateful to Destination NSW for wanting to support football financially and the APL’s efforts to increase its commercial revenue, the reaction of our fans over the last 24 hours speaks volumes.
“Western United is a young club that is being built for the football fans in the west of Melbourne and Victoria. We strongly believe that they are entitled to attend a Grand Final in their home state should we be successful in earning the right to do so.
“The emotion, togetherness, and unforgettable experience of winning our first A-League Men Championship earlier this year with our members, fans, and partners in the stands was nothing short of spectacular.
“To think that this would not be possible again for the next three seasons for most of our Western United family is disappointing.
“From the beginning of our existence, we’ve engaged with our fans and partners as stakeholders of our club through dialogue and consultation, to grow a culture and club that represents the people of the west.
“Our fans’ voice speaks as loud as our voice and to remove the opportunity to host the pinnacle events of the season from our locality is disappointing.”