New ownership cannot come soon enough for the Newcastle Jets.
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It is no time to look a gift horse in the mouth if, as has been suggested, Italian businessman Danilo Iervolino steps in as an 11th-hour saviour for the club.
The Jets have been propped up financially by the owners of three rival A-League clubs since Chinese businessman Martin Lee had his licence revoked in 2021.
This arrangement could never be expected to last indefinitely.
It is probably fair to suggest the club's three benefactors did not expect to be pumping money into the Jets for three years.
If the mooted deal with Iervolino falls over, it is not beyond the realms of possibility the Jets could fold before the season is over.
If the mooted deal with Iervolino falls over, it is not beyond the realms of possibility the Jets could fold before the season is over.
This would be a tragedy for Newcastle football fans.
The team may be attracting poor crowds, but it was only six years ago that Newcastle played in a sell-out grand final at Hunter Stadium.
There is no doubt the club's strange ownership status has damaged its relationship with fans. It is hard to get excited about the owners' commitment to the cause when they own rival franchises.
A successful team on the pitch with an owner or owners not conflicted by other interests would bring fans back into the fold.
The Jets have not confirmed the Italian's interest in buying the club, but coach Rob Stanton told the Newcastle Herald late last month that he had spoken with a prospective new owner.
When asked at the time if the takeover talks would bring good news for Jets fans, Stanton said: "I think so. They have a vision, and, whoever buys it, they will explain what they want to do and that will be for them to do, but, yeah, I found it encouraging."
It has been suggested the Jets have survived only because the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) organisation needs Newcastle to satisfy its TV deal with Ten.
The looming arrival of Auckland, bankrolled by US insurance and financial services billionaire Bill Foley, in the A-League in October will expand the league to 13 teams.
The Jets ownership speculation comes at the same time fellow A-League club Perth Glory battles for survival.
The APL announced in October that Melbourne property developer Robert Brij had bought the Glory, four months after the club went into receivership following the exit of long-term owner Tony Sage.
But the deal fell over, and the APL has been forced to step in to keep the club afloat.
Australia's football federation preserved the Jets during the often-turbulent ownership of Con Constantine, Nathan Tinkler and Lee.
Newcastle was one of the most important breeding grounds for football culture during the game's fledgling years in this country.
But the club-run APL may not regard the city and its national league team with quite the same sentimental attachment if the Jets continue to drain fellow owners' finances.
