AMBITIOUS PLANS TO TAKE AUSSIES HOME

Adelaide real estate tycoon Con Makris is behind the bold plan that would see Zeljko Kalac of Roda in the Netherlands and Tony Popovic of Sanfrecce Hiroshima, as well as the England-based trio of Sheffield United's Shaun Murphy, Birmingham winger Stan Lazaridis and Muscat join the new team.

When pressed about any financial difficulties associated with bringing the internationals home, Makris` spokesman Angelo Picca responded, "You will find that below the English Premier League, players are earning between A$2500 and $7000 a week which is ordinary compared to the cost of living in Britain."

It is believed that Makris has guaranteed the star quintet earnings of around $500,000 a year and involvement in his next shopping centre venture in Adelaide.

"I've already paid Soccer Australia $250,000 as a licence fee as well as another $10,000 in application fees," he added. "Our bid is the strongest and I'm confident we will be admitted."

The National Soccer League is to be reduced from 15 to 12 clubs next year, so Makris' confidence is based on the belief that almost half the clubs would fail to meet Soccer Australia's criteria.

However, whether the ambitious plans to sign the five Aussie internationals comes off is another matter, as it will not be easy to bring in players that are under contract with their current clubs.