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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Kieran Pender

Football Australia considered selling off Matildas and Socceroos to private equity firm for 99 years

The Matildas, Socceroos and A-Leagues would have been sold off if an FFA proposal in 2020 had been adopted.
The Matildas, Socceroos and A-Leagues would have been sold off if an FFA proposal in 2020 had been adopted. Photograph: Keith McInnes/SPP/Shutterstock

Football Australia explored selling off rights to the Matildas, Socceroos and the A-Leagues for 99 years in what would have been an unprecedented privatisation of football in Australia, Guardian Australia can reveal.

The deal could have also involved commercialising the data of all Australian football participants, including children as young as four, in a proposal that raised significant privacy concerns.

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