Rugby creditors swoop on embattled A-League club Brisbane

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - The Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) have filed a court application to have financially-stricken A-League club Brisbane Roar wound up over alleged unpaid debts. The QRU submitted documents to the Queensland Supreme Court in relation to nearly 12 months of outstanding rent payments at Ballymore, the club's former training base, local media reported. The QRU are one of a number of creditors pursuing the three-times Australian champions, who are owned by the heavily indebted Bakrie Group, an Indonesian mining and telecoms conglomerate. The application gives the Roar and their owners until Aug. 19 to settle the debt before liquidators move in. A hearing has been set for the same date. There was no one at the club immediately available for comment on Sunday. "It is disappointing that, not for the first time, the QRU is owed money by the Brisbane Roar," QRU Chief Executive Jim Carmichael said in quotes published by Australian Associated Press. "Maybe the FFA need to examine the ownership model of their A-League franchises and now provide some level of comfort to organisations who have supported this franchise over a number of years and through their difficult times off the field." Though one of the most successful clubs on the pitch in Australia's 10-team competition, the Roar have long proved a financial black hole for creditors. National soccer governing body Football Federation Australia took over the club in 2011 after the previous owners handed back the license after burning through millions of dollars. The Bakrie Group stepped in later that year and became the first foreign owners to hold a majority stake in an A-League club but mounting debts have plunged the team into renewed crisis this year and players have complained of unpaid wages. Roar Chairman Chris Fong promised a multi-million dollar recapitalisation of the club from the Bakrie Group, local media reported, which cited a leaked email to staff. But earlier this month, Fong told local broadcaster SBS that the club was on the verge of being sold to a "third party" and the deal would be concluded at the end of the month. (Writing by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford)