Sydney is unlikely to have a second franchise in the A-League next season after Football Federation Australia (FFA) announced that the Sydney Rovers consortium was no longer an option on Friday.
The FFA released a statement saying the peak body and the Rovers, planned for Western Sydney, had mutually agreed that the group would not pursue being the franchise in the region.
"We have mutually decided this week to move on so FFA can explore other options with the view to starting a team in Sydney's west as soon as possible," FFA CEO Ben Buckley said in a statement.
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"The Sydney Rovers group has completed a substantial amount of work around dealing with stadia, local government and businesses and they have kindly offered to make that work available to other prospective consortiums."
Buckley said FFA was committed to a second Sydney team and believed it was time to give other investors an opportunity.
"We are convinced there is enough support out there for a western Sydney franchise and it is an important part of our vision for the Hyundai A-League," he said.
The FFA had initially rejected two other bids for a franchise in western Sydney, including the Lucas Neill-backed Sydney Wanderers, in favour of the Rovers.
No official reason was given for the Rovers and the FFA not pushing ahead with the proposed franchise.
