Demetriou claims Aussie Rules will need to shut down for the season if the World Cup bid get the greenlight.

But Buckley today hit back and diplomatically dismissed the wild claims as "inaccurate" ... and said everyone at the top level of the rival codes knew that as it had been spelt out to them before the row broke out.

In an email sent out to Australian World Cup bid supporters on the official bid website (www.australia2018-2022.com.au) Buckley said government support for the bid, which was reaffirmed by the Council of Australian Governments on Monday, was "well and truly on track".

Buckley described the FFA's recent trip to South Africa as a "valuable opportunity" to promote the bid and gain positive feedback.

And he took the opportunity to hit back at AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou's "shutdown" comments on Monday although he was careful not to mention his former AFL boss directly.

'While it is not constructive to go into detail about the media comments from other sporting codes, I would just note that much of the commentary is inaccurate," he wrote, "particularly around consulting with the other sports, briefing them on the options, and informing them of the work being undertaken by our infrastructure consortium.

"None of the options involve 'shutting down' the season of another code or having a venue unavailable for the entire season,"

The FFA is feverishly working on its current deadline of December 11 to submit a formal 'Bidding Agreement'. This is an undertaking that the FFA will submit a technically compliant bid proposal in May 2010. The Bidding Agreement is not the formal bid proposal.

Meanwhile, as Demetriou continues his war of words with the FFA, the AFL is now worried about the NRL moving in on its turf.

One AFL CEO is concerned by the NRL scheduling games in Melbourne on Good Friday next year - traditionally a no-AFL day - saying it could become a popular move for the rival code in Australian Rules heartland.

The AFL schedules games on the Thursday night but traditionally keeps Good Friday free.

But now the NRL want to utilise Good Friday to play a blockbuster at Etihad stadium which has defensive North Melbourne AFL CEO Eugene Arocca worried.

"A move by the NRL to do something may prompt a revisit on this issue, particularly if the NRL fills Etihad Stadium with 50,000 people," he said.

"As time goes by and something like this gains momentum, it starts to make you wonder when and if the AFL should do something about it."

A fundraiser for Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital will be held in conjunction with the NRL game between Melbourne Storm and the Dragons.

"I would be a bit concerned if other codes were cleverly positioning themselves, using the day when Melburnians are looking for something to do after 3pm and that (rugby league) is the only show in town," added Arocca.

For more analysis on the FFA's World Cup bid, the spat with the AFL as well as some shameless plugs for Optus mobile, check out the latest 442 Insider Podcast here on au.fourfourtwo.com tomorrow.