A new consortium is believed to be making a move to take control of Adelaide United as the A-League club reels from another crisis. Hours after coach John Kosmina tendered his resignation to club chairman Greg Griffin, citing a lack of trust surrounding the organisation, it has emerged that an original board member is assembling a consortium to take over the club, according to Adelaide football sources.”This is what happens when wealthy people like Rob Gerrard who have scant football knowledge are put in charge of a football club,” a source said.”Football Federation Australia was too quick in approving the new owners.
”This is another Gold Coast disaster in the making.”Adelaide has made too many bad decisions in the last two years.”When the current administration entered the fray in 2010 it got rid of genuine football people like highly experienced administrator Sam Cicarello, respected coaches Carl Veart and Joe Mullen and popular media manager Dom Rinaldo.”Many Adelaide fans are hugely dissatisfied with the club's direction and it is hardly surprising that people are willing to act.”
For a new consortium to take over the club, the current board will have to hand back its licence to Football Federation Australia or sell its franchise rights with FFA's approval.Adelaide's crowds have dropped alarmingly the last two seasons and, if successful, the new group would be expected to make it a priority to bring back the glory days of the club that played in the 2008 AFC Champions League final and took part in the FIFA Club World Cup that same year.
Kosmina was scheduled to attend a morning meeting with Reds general manager Glenn Elliott and assistant coach Michael Valkanis at Hindmarsh Stadium on Monday but instead dropped the bombshell that he would quit the club with immediate effect."Before last weekend we had been first or second in the league and were recognised as a good football team,” a statement from Kosmina read.
”However, apart from survival, I can see no clear direction. There is no vision.
”Decision-making at management level is reactive and impulsive at best, and there is no consistency in managerial procedure.Griffin, who will be a special guest on The World Game program on SBS Two tonight, said he was shocked by Kosmina's decision.
"We are amazed, to be honest, but football clubs move on," Griffin told the Advertiser's website.
"No one else had been spoken to and that was a fact. He resigned. All we knew was there was a desire for a contract extension. There was still a fair bit to be done between now and February in talks with Kossie."Former defender Valkanis is expected to be given the head coach reins on an interim basis.
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