The war between the A-League clubs Football Federation Australia's board and chairman, Steven Lowy, over control of the game has intensified with clubs warning they will seek an injunction to prevent state federations forcing an emergency general meeting in the next few weeks.
The clubs and the players' union, the PFA, are opposed to the Lowy-led board's proposals to narrowly extend the membership of the FFA Congress, the body which helps decide how soccer is run in Australia.
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ABC presenters left speechless by live-to-air exit
The ABC news team were lost for words after soccer player Mitch Austin suddenly exited a live interview.
At stake is the direction of the game, the fate of its leadership and the likelihood of FIFA intervention to revamp the administration of Australian soccer. With the new season kicking off at the end of the week, the threat of injunction illustrates the seemingly intractable disagreements at the top.
The A-League clubs are determined to prevent the state federations from opening the door to the FFA to head off what now looms as a likely involvement by global body FIFA.
The clubs have written to the federations, which have nine of the 10 votes on the congress and are regarded by many as proxies for FFA, not to force an EGM so that FFA can push through its version of an extended congress. The clubs argue that would still leave the state federations in the driving seat where voting power was concerned and would do nothing to extend the representative nature of the Congress, which FIFA is demanding.
The clubs warned the federations that if they do, court action for an injunction will swiftly follow.
"We both urge you and caution you not to accede to the Board's wishes in this regard. There are very cogent reasons why the Federations must not use [their] electoral power to call this EGM and pass the FFA Board sponsored motions," a letter, signed by Adelaide United chairman Greg Griffin on behalf of the clubs, says.
"The calling of an EGM by the Federations would constitute an abandonment of the consensus seeking process among the stakeholders which we would find extremely regrettable ...
"Were the reform process driven and guided by FIFA and AFC [Asian Football Confederation] to stall or be blocked by such conduct we fear for the future of the game here and the significant investments each Club has made to create and grow the A-League over the past 12 years.
"The Clubs will exercise their clear legal rights to apply for injunctive relief to prevent the holding of any E.G.M. which has as its purpose the passing of these Resolutions designed to frustrate the will of FIFA and AFC and the bringing [of the congress] into a FIFA compliant form," the letter, issued on behalf of the Australian Professional Football Clubs Association, says.