The FFA own Fury but have not yet committed to the club’s financial future. Currently the national body are considering financial models put forward by Fury for the remainder of this season and beyond.

But crucially this current version of Fury – dubbed Fury v2.0 after last season’s inaugural entity went belly-up – have been told by FFA they are not in a position to sign or re-sign players.

It means Fury’s players are being circled by rival clubs.

CEO Rabieh Krayem said it was “very disappointing” that the lack of surety has meant Fury cannot offer players firm contracts into the future but added that the club had to respect the FFA’s decision and the players' futures.

“We don’t agree with it but we have to respect it and work through it. But it’s unsettling for the club. The club is doing everything possible to find a resolution,” he told au.fourfourtwo.com today.

“Every day that we can’t sign players is a concern. We’re concerned we’ll lose more players but all we can do is be open and honest with the players.

“We can’t prevent one of our players going to another club if we can’t make an offer. Loyalty can only go so far. Loyalty doesn’t pay bills.”

The issue was spectacularly highlighted last week when gun striker Isaka Cernak signed a deal with Melbourne Victory. However Krayem believes the player would’ve left anyway.

“Isaka wanted to go and play for Melbourne Victory who’ve qualified for the Asian Champions League," said Krayem.

"I don’t believe if we’d made him an offer he would’ve have stayed. He wanted to go and explore other avenues.”

He added some Fury players have been made offers but believed they would be fair to the club and give Fury as long as possible to come in with an offer.

“We’ve all told the players if we’re not in a position you’ve got to look after your future," he said. "We don’t want that - but we have to respect that.”

In the meantime Fury are doing what they can to strengthen their case on and of the park. They’ve re-signed Queensland Nickel as a sponsor on a reported $300,000 a season deal and are continuing with their community engagement model.

And they believe in the next 12 months, a community ownership model will be ready to go and can deliver a strong financial platform.

It’s getting to that point that’s the issue – they need head office to back them till that model is off and running.

“There is no question that the support for Fury both on and off the field. We’ve reconnected back with the football community, got corporate support and people are proud of the team,” added Krayem.

“And there is no question in my mind that by the 2012/13 the club can stand on its own two feet. It’s just getting through till then. No question. We can only put our case to the FFA and all we’re talking about is a short-term issue – not a long term.”

Meanwhile, Fury are hoping for a crowd of around 8000 for this Sunday’s Queensland derby against Gold Coast United in Townsville.The game is also for the Queensland Nickel Cup.

“The more fans who turn up to the games, the better. It sends a strong message to the FFA,” said Krayem.

“The current position the club finds itself in is an uncomfortable one for the staff, the players, our supporters and corporate partners. 

"But we can only control what we can control and that’s why I’m urging all sports fans to get to Dairy Farmers Stadium this Sunday to show their support for the club and desire for Fury to remain in the A-League for years to come.

“Fury have only been a brand for less than two seasons and already the level of membership, crowd attendances and corporate partnerships make us the envy of other club’s in the A-League.

"We have already surpassed our sponsorship targets for this season and we hope to add to our corporate portfolio in the coming weeks. 

“North Queensland has a rich sporting history and Fury have fast become an integral part of its sports offering.  North Queensland is one of the fastest growing parts in Australia and it would be a disaster for the region if the club was not here beyond this season.”

He added: “We want to be everyone’s number one team. If we can’t, then we want to be their second team.”