Kosmina weighs in on debate

Adelaide United Coach John Kosmina

Adelaide United Coach John Kosmina has weighed in on the Hyundai A-League expansion debate, saying Nathan Tinkler has done Newcastle wrong by handing back the Jets’ licence to the FFA.

Tinkler’s Hunter Sports Group (HSG) handed the Newcastle Jets’ licence back on Tuesday, just weeks after the FFA announced the death of Gold Coast United and the league’s expansion into Western Sydney.

Kosmina called for the league to consolidate its position in the wake of HSG’s attempt to pull out of the 2012/13 A-League season.

“Nathan Tinkler might find out that you don’t dirty your own nest – which is what he has done,” Kosmina said on Friday.

“It’s great for him to be a proud Novacastrian but you back it up with actions, not just talk about it.

“And what he’s done is certainly the wrong thing by the local football community.”

Kosmina stated that professional sport isn’t financially viable and admitted clubs are often reliant on ‘benevolent billionaires’ but stopped short that they need greater control of how the game is run.

“How far do you bend over?” Kosmina said.

“You have got to give people respect. But that doesn’t mean they’re allowed to disrespect you back.”

The 55-year-old said part of the league’s consolidation should begin with clubs tightening their belt.

“The clubs probably need to rein in their spending as well,” Kosmina said. “They need to look at how they spend their money and where they spend it rather than just throwing money at something to try and fix it. If you throw money at things generally you have to throw more at it and it doesn’t get better it gets worse.

“You create more problems that need solving,” he said.