But the pay-TV network has not abandoned football entirely,after agreeing to a fresh one-year contract that both parties see as a win under the circumstances,which was finally confirmed late on Friday night.
"The deal will see the professional game – for women and men – reactivated,and ensures that football is at the heart of all our thinking in the future,"FFA chief executive James Johnson said.
The arrangement is believed to be worth about $32 million to FFA,which is a reduction on the old contract but in line with renegotiated broadcast deals accepted by other sports in recent weeks.
Crucially,it stipulates the 2020-21 season will begin in December and finish in July 2021,putting the A-League on course for a gradual switch from summer to winter.
"The shift in the timing of the next A-League season is a strategic decision to enhance the alignment of our top tier professional men’s league with the grassroots playing season of the largest community sport in the country,"Johnson said.
"There are numerous benefits to this,including better aligning the competition pyramid of Australian football to facilitate enhanced football outcomes like amodern domestic transfer system,and enabling deeper engagement with our vast grassroots football community at the precise time our many participants are most engaged in our great game."
The following season is likely to be played in the 2022 calendar year,fitting neatly with the World Cup in Qatar,which is slated to begin in November.