As the results of an integrity committee report into the financial management of CONCACAF are made public, questions loom over a $462,200 donation to the Caribbean by Australia’s World Cup Bid, which the FFA should now be made to answer for.

The Western Sydney Wanderers, who have captured the hearts and minds of football fans in their inaugural season, will attempt to complete a fairytale this Saturday by winning the A-League grand final. In their way are the Central Coast Mariners, four-time grand finalists but never champions, who have endured a season from hell to emerge as a team deserving of their own fairytale ending.

On Monday, Foxtel announced a pledge of $20million towards grassroots football development in Australia. But as much as this support from Foxtel is welcome, it does not yet address a fundamental inequity in the game: the cost of grassroots participation and who’s bearing it.

The location of this seasons’ A-league Grand Final is not yet clear, with the new 6 side finals format used by the A-league not allowing a hosting team to be decided until the week before. In an attempt to make the A-league Grand Final a genuine showcase piece, should the A-league have a fixed Grand Final venue before the season begins?

‘Hassan Al-Thawadi has proven he can deal with the doubters… young, intelligent, charming, erudite, articulate – in so many ways he is a contrast to most of the rest of the Executive Committee’