Border closures prevent Melbourne Victory, Melbourne City and Western United from getting to A-League NSW hub

The West Australian
Camera IconLeigh Broxham of Melbourne Victory is seen dejected at the end of the Round 6 A-League match. Credit: JEREMY NG/AAPIMAGE

NSW deputy premier John Barilaro is confident Victoria’s three A-League teams will be granted exemptions to cross the border to complete the season in Sydney.

The Melbourne Victory, Melbourne City and Western United squads were due to fly to Canberra on Monday night but Canberra Airport was closed due to fog, preventing the flight out of Victoria, and they missed the deadline before the midnight border closure.

The players and staff boarded the plane, only for the flight to be cancelled leaving them stranded on the tarmac.

United captain Alessandro Diamanti recorded the eventful night on Instagram - including footage of teammate Andrew Durante loading bags into a car and of players and staff sitting on the plane.

“As a result, we will now begin the process to seek exemptions from the NSW government to allow the teams to enter NSW for them to continue their season,“ A-League boss Greg O’Rourke said.

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O’Rourke has since been in talks with the NSW government to allow the three Victorian teams into NSW to continue the season, which is set to restart on July 16 with a match between the Victory and Western United.

“If we find it necessary to revise the match schedule we will do so accordingly and will announce once confirmed. However, at this time the schedule remains the same,” O’Rourke said.

A calm Barilaro, who played an important role in the NRL season’s restart, promised to work with FFA to allow the season to continue.

“You’ve heard me on the NRL and the importance of sport,” Barilaro said.

“I think we’ve got to work with the FFA so I’ll be reaching out to the FFA to see what support they need.

“Of course if we’ve got an opportunity to do, so let’s bring them across the border, let’s park them in the regions or here in the city, and make sure they’re part of the A-League that kicks off shortly.

“We’ll work through it but I think there’s a real opportunity to do it, and there is a possibility, the exemptions exist, and we’ll work with health officials, as we’ve done previously with all the other codes.

“No-one would have thought we could have brought the (NRL’s) Warriors over at the time but we did ... so we’ve got a process in place to deal with it. so we’ll work with the FFA.

“Western United trained Tuesday, with coach Mark Rudan praising not only his team but also the Victory and City for dealing with a tough situation on Monday night.

“I have enormous respect for all three Melbourne clubs, the players and staff, for the huge sacrifice taken last night (MONDAY) and what everyone endured,” Rudan said.

Players’ union Professional Footballers Australia called for FFA to find a “feasible solution”.

“The players continue to make extraordinary sacrifices to ensure the season can be completed and there is absolutely no doubting their commitment to the cause,” a PFA spokesman said.

“The ongoing uncertainty is incredibly challenging for the players and their families and the FFA must secure a reasonable and feasible solution that allows the season to conclude.”

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