The success of the Sydney Derbies and FFA boss David Gallop’s statement that expansion should be in markets where there are millions, has the Harbour City as a favoured area.

One region mooted is the south of Sydney, however 30 percent of Sky Blues fan are based in that region.

Pignata says the A-League should go elsewhere.

“Our Chairman is on record saying that you already have four teams in NSW and we don’t believe we need another team in Sydney,” he said to FourFourTwo. “The League does need to expand but I think there are other markets they can look at.”

Head of A-League Greg O’Rourke, understands why Sydney FC would be hesitant to have another team in their backyard.

“The owners want to see the league expanded and what to see their value grow and they know that those two things go hand in hand,” he said to FourFourTwo. ” They also want to make sure the markets that we choose do not impact their own investment and grow the whole of the league so they are very logical wants from those clubs including Sydney FC.

“People might say they are emotional responses but they are not emotional responses they are actually business based assumptions and whatever we decide as the FFA in respect of where those licenses will go we will be in consultation with the existing A-League clubs and it will also be fact based.

“So we will need to show that it is in fact growing the whole of the league. Because if we simply put an A-League club into a region that simply just takes a certain number of attendees or members or broadcasts to a different region and the whole of the league is not growing then there is no benefit in doing that.”

While not leading any formal A-League bid, former Western Wanderers chairman and current Cronulla Sharks CEO Lyall Gorman said south Sydney was a logical expansion area.

“We certainly haven’t been the driving force in trying to establish a franchise here,” he said to FourFourTwo. “Our initial interest was really around wouldn’t our venue be a great venue for an expansion club in the region. We would be very happy to put our hand up for that.

“We have a game that is rich in history in the region. I’m talking about all of St George all the way down to Wollongong. It has a tremendous participation rate. There is a tremendous pride and passion in that.

“I 100 percent agree with David Gallop that you need areas that are rich in population and rich in football history and are rich in corporate support and are rich in participation and so on. Because the goal has got to be to grow the financial health and brand health of the game holistically and not just around a club or a franchise.”