April 8, 2003	Tuesday	Safar 5, 1424

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SYDNEY, April 7: A government-backed investigation into the state of soccer in Australia has recommended the controlling body that runs the game immediately be sacked.

The inquiry, launched by the government eight months ago amid claims of financial mismanagement, conflicts of interest and political infighting, delivered a scathing assessment of the way soccer is run in the country with the release of their findings on Monday.

The report’s author, David Crawford, who also reshaped the running of Australian Rules football a decade ago, listed 53 separate recommendations on how to improve maters, including the appointment of an interim board to oversee the entire restructure of the game.

“Change is essential if the sport is to reach the potential that it has promised for so long but failed to achieve,” Crawford said.

“Without significant change the sport will continue to suffer from the factionalism, infighting and poor management that has bedeviled it in the past.”

Despite Australia’s reputation as a sports-mad country with a long history of success in many different sports, soccer continues to struggle to make a major impact in the country.

The national team has not qualified for the World Cup since 1974, the national league is poorly attended and attracts little interest and the game is riddled with major financial problems.—Reuters