Football Federation Australia (FFA) had lobbied for the AFC to change the competition regulations to allow the current season's Hyundai A-League Champion and Premier (Grand final runner-up if Champion and Premier are the same) to compete in the 2007 AFC Champions League.

However the competitions committee has ruled that Sydney FC, as the Hyundai A-League 2005/06 Champions, and Adelaide United, as the Hyundai A-League 2005/06 Premiers, will be the two Australian clubs that will participate in the 2007 AFC Champions League.

"We are obviously disappointed, but we accept and understand the AFC’s Competition Committees decision," said FFA Head of Operations Matt Carroll.

"It was the FFA's initial understanding that it would be this season's (Hyundai A-League 2006/07) Premier and Champion who would be entered into the AFC Champions League which has always been our preference.

"However once we discovered that the AFC intended to nominate Sydney FC and Adelaide United we have lobbied for change so that it would be this season's Champion and Premier."

"Whilst the Premier and Champion from the Hyundai A-League 2006/07 season will not participate in the 2007 AFC Champions League, they will however be eligible for the 2008 AFC Champions League.

"Sydney FC and Adelaide United will now get the support of the FFA and we are hopeful they will achieve success as our representatives in Asia's most prestigious club competition.

“As the AFC Champions League is not a competition run by the FFA we have not been able to change the regulations in this instance, but we will continue to lobby the competitions committee in the hope that the rules will be adjusted in time for the 2009 AFC Champions League."

"We look forward to working with the AFC for the ongoing improvement and advancement of the AFC Champions League competition," ," concluded Carroll.

The 2007 AFC Champions League commences on 7 March 2007 with the final to be played over two legs on 7 November and 14 November 2007.

The FFA also confirmed that any prize money won by the two Australian clubs would be split amongst all eight (8) of the Hyundai A-League teams.

Adelaide and Miami are sisters - SBS

Adelaide United has announced the establishment of a sister club relationship with Miami Football Club.

�After discussions with officials of Miami FC, I am proud to announce that we have reached a formal agreement with them - and also Desportivo Brasil, who is their academy club in Brazil - to establish a relationship which is mutually beneficial to both clubs in a number of key strategic areas,� said Chief Executive Michael Petrillo.

The relationship will provide the Adelaide United FC and Miami FC with commercial and marketing opportunities, and Petrillo believes among the benefits is Adelaide United forming an alliance in the U.S.A.

�Some of the benefits to both clubs include facilitating conditions for our players and coaches, to train and or play with its partner club."

"Such programs will aim at developing players, exposing them to different cultures, playing styles, philosophies, and conditions,� Petrillo said.

The first example of the �sister club� relationship in action involves two young Brazilian players, Elton and Cristiano, coming to have a trial with Adelaide United, with the two Miami FC players scheduled to arrive in Adelaide on Wednesday.

�Both players are products of the Brazilian based academy team Desportivo Brasil - owned by Miami FC - and were spotted by Adelaide United as potential Hyundai A-League players of the future during the tour by Miami FC last month,� Petrillo said.

�Kossie (John Kosmina) was keen to have a closer look at these two youngsters."

"Elton is a quick striker who can play out wide as well and Cristiano is a very skilful defender come midfielder."

"We hope to see more players from South America trialing with the club in the future as our relationship with Brazilian football through Romario continues to grow.�

Elton and Cristiano will trial with Adelaide United for five weeks before returning to Miami.

Farina roars back to centre stage

Farina inherits a side that has maintained a top-four position all season but has been on the slide in the past six rounds, taking only five points out of a possible 21. The rot set in with the 4-1 loss to Melbourne in round six, and Bleiberg believed the only way the squad could turn things around was if he walked and let a fresh face take over.

Was he too hasty? Is the Roar good enough to get out of its mini-slump, starting tonight? Will Farina mix things up and make radical changes to personnel and tactics, or will a fresh face be enough to rekindle the Queenslanders and turn them into the force they were in the opening few rounds.

The first thing Farina is likely to do is settle on a first-choice goalkeeper. Bleiberg has used Liam Reddy eight times, Tommy Willis four, but defenders always feel more comfortable getting into a rhythm with the same keeper behind them.

The Roar has plenty of firepower, but its attacking potential does not always deliver.

So far this season, it averages 1.33 goals a game. It has a total of 16 from its 12 matches — not the volume that might be expected from a squad, which includes players such as Ante Milicic, Brazilian forward Reinaldo, Chinese international Yuning Zhang and Scottish import Simon Lynch, a former teammate of Mark Viduka's at Glasgow Celtic.

In addition, the Roar's scoring stocks are boosted by under-20 international Dario Vidosic, an attacking midfielder, and South Korean midfield workhorse Hyuk Su Seo, who occasionally chimes in with a long-range screamer.

While the Queenslanders' defence contains few big names, it is, perhaps surprisingly, one of the tightest in the competition — as it was in 2005-06.

This year, Queensland has conceded 12 goals — fewer than any side except the rampant Melbourne (nine). Bleiberg loaded his squad up with tall, strong defenders who could play in the middle and often favoured a back three, using skilful and adaptable players such as Andy Packer and Spase Dilevski in wide wing-back roles.

Throughout his six years in charge of the Socceroos, Farina stuck fast with a 4-4-2, and with Melbourne's attacking strength — Archie Thompson, Kevin Muscat (mainly from the penalty spot) and Daniel Allsopp are the league's three highest goal-scorers this season — the ex-Socceroos boss may well be tempted to revert to that system.