Bill Foley, the billionaire owner of the new Auckland A-league side. Photo / Photosport
Chris Rattue runs through the best and worst from the sporting weekend.
WINNER: Bill Foley/behind the scenes football diplomacy
A CBS interview with Texan Bill Foley, the billionaire owner of the new Auckland A-league side, provided a fascinating insight into his methods, and why he has been so successful.
The 79-year-old’s attention to a range of details is impressive, and this even extends to the way he wants his EPL team Bournemouth to play.
Attacking football is his mantra, believing that this is the only style that will enable Bournemouth to punch above its weight.
Foley got mega-rich by establishing an insurance company 40 years ago and the word is he has a great head for numbers.
He comes across as refreshingly precise and clear-headed.
I understand that this smart approach includes the new Auckland A-league operation going the extra mile to establish good relations with the city’s local football clubs.
Understanding the issues is one thing, solving them is another when it comes to sporting passions. And running a local sports club is a tough business these days.
Over many years, I’ve often detected what might be termed at least mild resistance to an A-league club among the big local clubs.
They fear - it seems - they will get squashed and have the best young talent, which they have developed, prematurely ripped away.
While their concerns have to be taken seriously, I would urge local clubs to grasp this A-league opportunity for all it is worth.
And this new Auckland A-league club understands the pitfalls and why local development programmes need to be respected.
Here’s the bottom line though.
It is, very likely, the last chance Auckland will ever have to get a tiny toehold in the wonderful world of professional football leagues.
Bill Foley is a godsend. The chances of someone like him coming along, to give this city another chance in the football limelight, are close to zero.
His presence is, quite honestly, a sporting miracle.
Remember, he sees the Auckland club as the bottom step in a worldwide club system that peaks with Bournemouth.
Along the way, the Auckland A-league club will give a clutch of local players their best chance of playing in the A-league and even moving beyond. It will also raise the prospects of local players making the World Cup-bound All Whites.
And fans will have a local professional team to support, rejuvenating our flagging local sports scene.
There may be arguments, there may be disputes. That’s life, and a robust football scene will only add to the game’s strength.
But when it comes to the big picture, Auckland football has so much to gain if it can get on the same A-League page.
WINNER: Unexpected comebacks to look forward to in 2024...
... as in Joseph Parker and the new Auckland A-league football side.
Parker surprised almost everybody with his Christmas victory over big-punching Deontay Wilder.
The Auckland boxer is back in the heavyweight title game, although as Parker himself said in an interview over the weekend, a rise in the rankings doesn’t automatically give him a better shot at glory.
Boxing matchmaking is a mysterious business, and Parker may now be seen as a big risk to take on without enough financial gains.
Bottom line though: Joseph Parker is a potentially fascinating sports story once again.
As is the Auckland football side. After the failure of two previous franchises, it’s unlikely many people believed that Auckland would get another chance.
WINNER: Coco Gauff
Let’s hope the teenage American’s successful defence of the Auckland tennis title encourages her to return. Maybe a great run in the Australian Open will also play a part in that.
New Zealand gets so few world sports stars to compete here anymore. Her victory also helped get a bit more world coverage for our comparatively little tennis tournament. Thanks for coming, Coco Gauff.
LOSER/WINNER: David Warner
Warner should be revered - or at least highly respected - in his own cricket-loving country, but the flamboyant opener divides opinion in Australia.
Will time help save his reputation? I’m not sure.
For now, the 2018 ball-tampering controversy still looms large - rather than a black cloud, it’s a little piece of yellow sandpaper that hangs over his career.
And he appears to have made matters worse with what many see as manipulative public statements.
The retiring 37-year-old received a standing farewell ovation at the SCG, but his legacy is more complex.
He also has a reputation as an arrogant sledger around the world, although great Aussie cricketers of the past have never feared being disliked beyond their shores.
Warner could be a fantastic opener to watch though. And experience has taught me that the public persona of sports stars, the general perception of them, can be very different to reality.
WINNER/LOSER: South African cricket
The Proteas put on an incredible bowling burst at Newlands, dismissing six Indian batsmen for zero runs. It still wasn’t enough to save them, having scored just 55 in their first innings.
This match was about as bizarre as test cricket can get, with Aiden Markram scoring a brilliant run-a-ball century, while none of his fellow South African batters passed 15 in the entire test. Once again, a test wicket came in for severe criticism after a rapid-fire, poor-quality game.
WINNER: The Jordan Henderson story
The much-admired former Liverpool football captain attracted scorn when he quit for the Saudi Pro League, particularly as it flew in the face of his strident support for the LGBQT+ community.
He is unsettled though and wants to return to the Premier League, with stories highlighting the poor crowds at the Saudi club matches.
At one game last year, Henderson’s club Al-Ettifaq played in front of a mighty 696 fans.
Yahoo. The Saudis believe that money can buy them anything, and are prepared to raid the world’s best football leagues.
Reports say they want to dominate the world football scene.
But the Saudis don’t seem to understand that football is a sport that is steeped in traditions and rivalries. They have no hope of recreating those aspects that drive the game around the world.
Given that they are prepared to disrupt and deplete the great football leagues of the world and have the financial power to do so, it would be lovely to see the Saudi Pro League collapse.
Chris Rattue has been a journalist since 1980 and is one of the most respected opinion writers in New Zealand sports journalism.
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