Players and staff from Melbourne Victory, Melbourne City and Western United were set to fly from Melbourne to Canberra on Tuesday night, a day after their first attempt to leave the state was thwarted by fog.

But the group again did not fly out after failing to gain an exemption to enter NSW at the airport - the stumbling block being upon arrival they would have to quarantine for 14 days in Canberra and be unable to train during that period.

The A-League season is set to continue in eight dats after being shut down for four months. The three clubs have remained in Melbourne as the fiasco rolls on.

One player involved told FTBL: "It's crazy."

Another said it was "awful" and "sad".

"We are OK but we just look like amateurs," he admitted. "The government's have stitched us up here massively. The AFL got wind of this and we didn't."

Another described the farcical situation as "...like a reality TV show".

Melbourne Victory and Western United have been approached for comment.

It is expected the three A-League clubs will keep training in Melbourne for now and may attempt to play their matches in the Victorian capital, before trying to get to NSW at a later date.

Victory are scheduled to face Western United on July 16, with Western United to face City on July 20. Western Sydney are set to host Victory on July 22 at this stage.

In a statement FFA said it will continue to gain exemptions for the three teams to enter NSW to continue the season.

"We did absolutely everything we could to get the players and staff out of Victoria by midnight tonight, but in such a rapidly evolving situation, unfortunately it was just not possible," Greg O'Rourke, Head of Leagues, said.

"We are in discussions the NSW Government, and we will continue to seek the exemptions necessary for the teams to travel.

"Given the strict League and Club Protocols our Teams have been following since 2 June 2020, combined with the fact we have not had any Players or High Performance Staff return a positive COVID-19 testing result, we feel that we have a very good case to gain the exemptions and get the teams to NSW to complete the Hyundai A-League season, and we will make every attempt to do so.

"I’d like to sincerely thank the players, their families and staff from the three clubs for their understanding and commitment this past 24 hours.

"The disappointment of getting prepared to travel out of Victoria to prepare for the restart not once but twice has been most frustrating for them and can assure them, the clubs’ members and fans that we are all committed to overcoming this evolving challenge and to play football again."