AFL boss angry over SACA's oval comments - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

AFL boss angry over SACA's oval comments

By Daniel Brettig 27/07/2009 04:59:32 PM Comments (0)

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has rebuked the South Australian Cricket Association for revealing confidential details of stadium negotiations regarding Adelaide Oval.

SACA chief executive Mike Deare was widely quoted over the weekend when he revealed plans for a redevelopment of the oval that would extend its capacity to 45,000 and make it the prime Adelaide venue for cricket, soccer and Australian football.

Key to these plans was the sale of AAMI Stadium, with football money then being funnelled into the oval's expansion.

Demetriou said the revelation of these sensitive details made it difficult for the league to continue negotiations with SACA.

"We were very disappointed, extremely disappointed, because we've undertaken all of these discussions and negotiations in good faith," Demetriou told reporters in Adelaide on Monday.

"We've adhered to a particular process, which was articulated very clearly from the beginning, and I must say that football through the SANFL and the two AFL clubs here and in all the meetings I've been involved in everyone knew very clearly the process.

"I think football's behaved professionally in respect to the confidentiality.

"It was extremely disappointing to read some of the comments the other day, particularly when you had cricket talking about what football's doing.

"That just seemed inappropriate."

SANFL chiefs have said they will now find it difficult to trust the SACA in any future dealings, a view Demetriou could understand.

"I can understand that view (of mistrust) because when you all sign up to a particular process you expect people to follow it," he said.

"Part of this process involved some work commissioned independently by PriceWaterhouse Coopers, which is yet to be completed, only into the interim phase.

"Our guys from the AFL have been working very diligently with the SACA and the SANFL and there's a hell of a long way to go on that basis, so to read some comments about things that were coming out that was disappointing, and it does make it difficult to continue.

"Of course they (negotiations) can go on, but it just makes it harder because you sit there and you wonder what's next, what will happen next time."

Demetriou was in Adelaide for talks with the SANFL about a new stadium deal for the Power and the Crows, and said those discussions were moving forward at a healthy rate.

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