Soccer – A-League begins debate with question Bolt left unresolved

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Usain Bolt's mission to win a professional football contract in Australia has dominated the pre-season A-League and could prove an intriguing treasure hunt for a championship that lacked glamor superstar in recent years.

Bolt, who was trying to get a spot at Central Coast Mariners, scored twice in a test match last week. He made headlines around the world but did not dispel doubts about the gold medal's chances eight times to reach the rank.

Bolt's only presence on the central coast has allowed the sleepy region north of Sydney to take center stage, drawing thousands of people into warm-up matches that would normally struggle to attract a few hundred spectators. .

The Australian Football Federation (FFA) said it would not raid a special fund created to attract top players to the league if the Mariners decided that Bolt, 32, was worth the risk.

But it would probably be moving to keep the Jamaican Down Under for its marketing value, if not for its football quality.

Adding another element of intrigue, the Maltese champion, Valetta FC, has shown interest in signing Bolt, suspending a two-year contract before him.

What is certain is that Bolt will not show up for the Mariners when they open their season in Brisbane Roar on Sunday, and most likely not before the New Year at the earliest.

The league's next registration period will not open until January 3, which could leave him a mere cheerleader for the first half of the season, which should be one of the most open for years.

HONDA POWER

Former Japan midfielder Keisuke Honda will feel the burden of expectations as the league's most prominent rookie in his most dominant team, Melbourne Victory.

Honda is arguably the biggest rookie in the league since Sydney FC have captivated Italy's Alessandro del Pierro for two seasons in 2012, and he could play a key role in Victory, coach Kevin Muscat, who wants to wear the record of the five-title champion.

Sydney FC and Newcastle Jets, who were beaten by Victory last season in the championship standings, are also expected to be prominent in the post-season, but Perth Glory is likely to be in the lead.

Glory finished eighth in the league of 10 teams last year, but the hiring of director Tony Popovic, who guided the Western Wanderers to the Asian Champions League title in 2014, triggered an influx quality recruits.

They now boast of three former Australian internationals in a defense that fared far too many goals last season.

League A will also begin without the governance war being in the background for the first time in years after the FFA Congress voted a reform package earlier this month to end the a long-standing conflict.

The political quarrel has delayed the selection of new expansion teams, but FFA President David Gallop said on Wednesday that the league still plans new teams joining the A-League in the 2019/20 season.