Communications Minister Stephen Conroy says the Labor government will place Socceroos' matches on the anti-siphoning list - which ensures major sporting events appear on free-to-air television - when the Foxtel contract with the Football Federation of Australia ends in 2013.Murdoch's FOX media network also has the A-League games, and SBS cannot even put together a decent highlights show on a Sunday afternoon. There should be a prime-time Monday night show and if SBS won't do it someone else should.
He said the Howard government's communications minister, Helen Coonan, had refused to put the matches on the anti-siphoning list.
The government could intervene now but that would expose the federation to an "ugly" multi-million dollar penalty.
"It is a significant penalty that would potentially cause quite a deal of difficulties for the football federation," Senator Conroy told ABC Radio.
"We are talking about many, many millions of dollars.
"They (the Socceroos) are as significant as the (rugby union) Wallabies, they are as significant as the (rugby league) Kangaroos, as our cricket team, and this attitude of Helen Coonan and the former government was very, very disappointing and a slap in the face to soccer fans," he said.
I just spent a few hundred bucks signing my two boys up for another season of local soccer (under 10's and 11's). What do we get for the money? Not much, I'm afraid.
