Feb. 17, 2013, 3 a.m.
MELBOURNE HEART chief executive Scott Munn said his team was delighted to get the chance to take on Lucas Neill in his first A-League game next weekend after the veteran defender spurned the chance to join the Melbourne club and opted for Sydney FC instead.
And Munn said Neill had ''backtracked'' on understandings he had reached with his former international teammates John Aloisi and Hayden Foxe, Heart's senior coach and assistant, that he would join the Victorian side if the club which appeared to be his first choice, Brisbane, failed to qualify for the Asian Champions League.
''Certainly Lucas has probably stretched some long-term friendships providing some information that he has backtracked on,'' Munn said on Saturday. ''We are looking forward to playing Sydney and Lucas at AAMI Park next Sunday. It should be an interesting meeting.''
Munn and his football operations manager John Didulica met Neill's representative in Sydney on Friday before the Heart played the Jets in Newcastle on Friday night, a match which saw the Jets leapfrog them in the table with a 2-0 win. They warned after that meeting that they would not get involved in a bidding war for the 34-year-old.
Munn said Heart put together what they thought was a competitive package of about $100,000 for the final six games of the season plus any finals that the team might qualify for. He estimated the package that lured him to Sydney might be worth double that.
On Saturday afternoon, Football Federation Australia announced that Neill had plumped for Sydney FC, where he will swell the big-name quotient (Alessandro del Piero and Brett Emerton are also on the roster) already in sky blue.
FFA chief David Gallop confirmed that the sport's governing body would be stumping up some of the cash for Neill's guest stint.
''In this crucial FIFA World Cup qualifying year, it will be great to see the Socceroo captain playing in front of Australian fans in our very competitive national league. A number of clubs held discussions with Lucas and his representatives and FFA made the same offer of assistance to each club,'' Gallop said.
''This season, FFA has been party to several arrangements covering marquee players and returning Socceroos. Our aim has been to support clubs who have made substantial investments in top quality players. The marquee players and returning Socceroos have added great value to the A-League in terms of playing standard and marketability. At the end of the season we will review this policy in conjunction with the clubs to ensure we are maximising benefits for the whole league.''
The Heart felt Neill could have added stability, know-how and experience to the club's defence in the final high-pressure six weeks of the season. Heart have surrendered several points late in games, and Aloisi and Foxe were confident Neill's leadership would have helped their young defenders.
Instead he will boost Sydney's late-season charge to a spot in the play-offs. Sky Blues coach Frank Farina was in charge of the Socceroos when Neill developed his international career. Farina has turned around Sydney's fortunes since his appointment after Ian Crook's resignation and was rewarded with a two-year deal earlier in the week.
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