A consortium led by
Manchester City have taken
over Australian A-League
club Melbourne Heart .
The club sacked coach John Aloisi in December
following a disastrous start to the 2013-14 campaign,
replacing him with predecessor John van't Schip, and
only narrowly avoided setting a new record of 20
consecutive matches without a win after they the
Newcastle Jets last Friday.
But the struggling outfit are now set to receive an
enormous financial boost, and City CEO Ferran
Soriano is setting high targets for their new
acquisition.
"We are excited about the opportunity to make
Melbourne Heart one of the most successful football
clubs in Australia and throughout the region," Soriano
said in a statement.
"We believe the strong sports culture of Melbourne,
combined with the football and commercial expertise
within our consortium, will make for a powerful
combination both on and off the pitch."
According to joint statements released by City and
Heart, Van't Schip and the existing playing staff in
Melbourne are staying put for now, with no major
announcements being made until the middle of the
year.
"The first thing we must do is take the time to listen
and learn and then to develop our strategy for
strengthening the club over time," Soriano added.
Football Federation Australia chief executive David
Gallop said he was delighted with the announcement,
saying it shows how much the A-League is growing.
"Football has moved into the mainstream of Australian
sport and is ideally placed to benefit from the boom in
football across Asia," he said.
"Manchester City and their Australian partners have
made a strategic investment and I welcome them to
our growing competition. It's another sign that the
world is taking notice of Australian football."
Manchester City have also expanded into the USA,
joining forces with the New York Yankess to form
New York City FC, who are set to make their MLS
debut in 2015.
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