Andrew Johnsen: Wellington Phoenix a disrespectful mess

Wellington Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison has been silent on the proposed sale of his football club. PHOTO/GETTY IMAGES

Fans of the Wellington Phoenix have been blatantly disrespected by an ownership group unwilling to communicate.

As if a poor 2017/18 Hyundai A-League campaign wasn't enough for committed Wellington Phoenix fans, reports surfaced over negotiations towards a ridiculous merging with a Southwest Sydney group.

The Phoenix adamantly stated they weren't going to sell their A-League licence in any form but when there are overwhelming clouds of smoke appearing over Westpac Stadium, there's usually a fire.

Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop confirmed with AAP that he held a meeting with Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison and director of the Southwest Sydney expansion bid, Gino Mirra, on May 11.

Then, on May 15, the Sydney Morning Herald reported the club had reached an agreement to sell the license for $16.3 million and shift the majority of operations to the other side of the Tasman.

If the owners didn't want to part with the side these meetings surely wouldn't have even happened, right?

After another ultimately pointless season of meandering in the doldrums of the A-League table can it be looked in a different manner now if the owners are indeed looking to bolt.

The owners are being flat out disrespectful to a fan base that, for better and, more often than not, worse, head along to Westpac Stadium every week to watch their side usually go down comfortably.

The FFA are expected the block the sale but that will do little to alleviate the Yellow Fever's righteous gripes with upper management.

With two years left on their current four year extension taking them until the end of the 2019/20 season (with the potential for further three year extensions through to 2022/23 and 2025/26), there seems to be little reason for fans to expect on-field changes.

That seems callous but what owner would go out and spend millions on new players and coaches for a team that, for all intents and purposes, will leave the capital in two years?

None would. It would be dead money to them.

Of course, this would be slightly more palatable for the fans if the owners came out to either dispel what they call rumours armed with an artillery of evidence or come clean about wanting out.

The fans shouldn't expect anything from them. Since the Sydney Morning Herald piece on May 15, the only communication from the Phoenix has been a retweet of South West Sydney Football's go at "false media".

They've gone eerily quiet for a club that supposedly isn't up for grabs in their eyes.

Silence usually speaks volumes but Phoenix management are screaming.