Soccer: Clive Palmer to launch national public inquiry

Clive Palmer. Photo / AP.

Clive Palmer's Football Australia will launch a national public inquiry into soccer next month despite having no guarantee its findings will be acknowledged by the sport's governing body.

Palmer's newly-formed FA will conduct the inquiry over 13 days and nine venues in every state as well as the national capital, starting in Brisbane on April 10.

An FA statement said on Friday the inquiry's terms of reference covered the Olyroos' failure to qualify for the London Games and the cost of junior football.

Other suggested topics were the amount of encouragement provided to women to participate in the sport and "any other matter seen by contributors as important or significant to the game".

Commissioner for the inquiry will be ex-Football South Australia president Gary Collis.

It is another raspberry blown at Football Federation Australia (FFA) by Palmer after the governing body stripped the billionaire mining magnate of the Gold Coast United licence.

Apart from forming FA to "bring accountability back into the game", Palmer has also threatened to sue FFA for $20 million if they do not return his A-League licence.

The inquiry will take in Brisbane, Townsville, Newcastle, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth, ending on April 26.

"Interested parties can make their submissions either in writing or in person at the hearing(s) in their home state," the FA statement said.

But it is unlikely the FFA will even consider the findings after their boss Ben Buckley recently dismissed Palmer's inquiry concept.

"It has no status. It has no relevance," Buckley said.

"It shouldn't be taken seriously by the football public.

"In fact, I think in some ways people are being deceived by its establishment.

"People should treat it with the level of disdain that it deserves."

In another twist, Palmer's FA has also thrown their support behind the consortium hoping to earn the Gold Coast licence.

United might be playing their last game against Brisbane Roar at Skilled Park on Sunday as FFA decides their fate.

"Nobody wants to see another A-League club go to the wall and disappear like North Queensland Fury did last season," FA CEO Archie Fraser said in a statement.

"Everything should be done to keep top-level football on the Gold Coast - the region deserves to have a team.

"We will assist them (consortium) in any way possible should they need it.

"The most important outcome is that the club be kept alive."

-AAP