Sydney FC chairman, Scott Barlow, backed Macarthur, based at Campbelltown, and put the boot into Southern Expansion which will draw on the St George, Sutherland and Illawarra regions.

Barlow described the southern model as “deeply flawed” claiming it would cannibalise Sydney’s fan base. But the bid’s CEO Chris Gardiner hit back, describing Barlow’s claims as “ridiculous”.

Football Federation Australia wil name two expansion teams for 2019/10 in October.

Sydney FC: Macarthur A-League bid exciting

Gardiner didn't hold back, saying the Macarthur option was up to a decade away from being successful and would be a “drag on the A-League”.

He added: “The challenge for the A-League is whether they want an immediately successful team – Southern – which boosts TV audiences and match-day attendances with a little short-term discomfort for Sydney FC, or go with a club and region – Macarthur – that is 5-10 years away from being successful and will be a drag on the A-League.

“I know that the other A-League teams know which one is best for the competition, even if Sydney FC’s fear is clouding their judgment.

“Mr Barlow comes from a great Australian tradition of protectionism and monopoly. Clearly he is panicking about the prospect of a strong A-League competitor based in the Southern region.

“We have offered Sydney FC and the Wanderers a collaborative approach to market growth and membership drives in the Sydney area once we are established. Wanderers were very open, Sydney dismissed it.

“Southern will be great for Sydney FC. Unfortunately, their business nous is clearly not as good as their on-field performance. They’re clearly worried the Club will actually have to work for memberships into the future and they’re unused to community engagement. We’re willing to help them.”

Mr Gardiner said talk by Sydney FC of cannibalisation was “simply ridiculous, if not embarrasing" claiming the city needed four clubs in the medium term.

He added: “They recently stated that a third of their approximately 15,000 Members came from the Southern Region – at best, 5,000 members.

“But there are over 40,000 registered football players in the southern region. Further, our research says that people identify extremely strongly as being from the Southern region, certainly not from the eastern suburbs, which is why they are currently lost to the game and want their own club to support.

“When the Wanderers were created, Sydney also fought against it, so the football community knows they have form. However, Sydney FC’s membership actually rose. This is what healthy competition does.

“Sydney needs at least three, and medium-term four, clubs and we all know how important it is that we finally get this market right.  If we fail in Sydney, we fail, period. We are very confident that decisions about the long term maximisation of this market will be made in the interests of the game and based on solid research data and I might add that our only aim is to see football win as a whole.

“To this end, we have reached out to Sydney FC and had immensely productive talks with Wanderers about working together to maximise opportunities for the game and ensure the whole market is compensated for and feels a part of the game. We see the three entities collaborating in future to benefit the entire League.”