De Amicis, Valeri, & Kwasnik to help bring ‘final’ FFA Cup Final to life

Ahead of Saturday’s FFA Cup 2021 Final between Melbourne Victory FC and Central Coast Mariners FC at AAMI Park in Melbourne, Football Australia has made a series of announcements regarding the match and matchday.

Australian and Victorian football great Fausto De Amicis, who represented the Socceroos on 13 occasions between 1998 and 2002, scoring twice, will present the Mark Viduka Medal for the player voted best on ground in the FFA Cup Final.

De Amicis, who was a teammate of Viduka at Melbourne Knights in the early-to-mid ‘90s, will become the latest in a line of Australian football greats to present the esteemed Medal following the decider.

As well as representing Australia and Melbourne Knights throughout his playing days, De Amicis played in the National Soccer League (NSL) for South Melbourne and at National Premier Leagues (NSL) level with Heidelberg United.

In total, De Amicis won four NSL titles, and he is also a Joe Marston Medal winner. De Amicis won the Joe Marston Medal for his performance in the 1998 NSL Grand Final when South Melbourne defeated Carlton 2-1 in front of 16,000 fans at Melbourne’s Olympic Park.

The player that wins the Mark Viduka Medal in tomorrow’s Final will join Sergio Cirio (Adelaide United, 2014), Kosta Barbarouses (Melbourne Victory, 2015), Bruno Fornaroli (Melbourne City, 2016), Adrian Mierzejewski (Sydney FC, 2017), Craig Goodwin (Adelaide United, 2018), and Al Hassan Toure (Adelaide United, 2019) as winners of the Medal.

Meanwhile, Melbourne Victory and Central Coast Mariners greats Carl Valeri and Adam Kwasnik will also be involved in the FFA Cup 2021 Final matchday presentations.

Carl Valeri

Valeri, who is a current member of Victory’s staff and won the FFA Cup Final with the club in 2015, will present the FFA Cup trophy to Melbourne Victory should Tony Popovic’s side win the decider.

Kwasnik, who is a two-time A-League Premiership winner and one-time A-League Champion with the yellow and navy, will present the FFA Cup trophy to Central Coast Mariners should Nick Montgomery’s men claim their first FFA Cup crown.

Together, Valeri and Kwasnik will carry the FFA Cup trophy onto the field pre-match, as the FFA Cup Final gets set to be played in front of a national, free-to-air TV audience on Network 10 for the first time.

Throughout the FFA Cup Final pre-match show the Mike Cockerill Medal, presented to the standout player from non-A-League clubs throughout the competition, will also be presented.

Kwasnik

One player will add his name alongside Elvis Kamsoba (2018) and Fraser Hills (2019) in claiming the award named in honour of the late, legendary Australian football journalist and Football Australia Hall of Famer, Cockerill.

Saturday’s match between Melbourne Victory and Central Coast Mariners will be the final fixture played under the ‘FFA Cup’ designation. From the 2022 iteration of the competition onwards, the competition will be contested under a new name.

This new name will be revealed throughout the FFA Cup 2021 Final pre-game show on Network 10, which will be simulcast on 10 Play. Hosted by Tara Rushton and featuring commentators Simon Hill and Andy Harper, Socceroos Archie Thompson and Bruce Djite, as well as Michael Zappone, the pre-game show will commence at 7pm AEDT (one hour before kick-off).

The winner of the FFA Cup 2021 Final will secure Australia’s final slot in the AFC Champions League 2022. With a win tomorrow night, Victory or Mariners will advance to the Play-Off phase of the AFC Champions League, where they will face Japanese heavyweights Vissel Kobe – who boast Andres Iniesta in their midfield – in a single-leg tie for a place in Group J.

As well as being broadcast live and free into households across Australia via Network 10 and 10 Play, the FFA Cup 2021 Final will be beamed extensively internationally.

Via BeIn Sport, CSM/KBALL, MyTV Super, VIEON, BT Sports, ESPN+, and Sport 24 respectively, football fans across South-East Asia, China, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the Americas, and in-flight/in-ship will have access to the contest. Fans in markets without an official rights holder can also view the game live and free via YouTube.

Over 11,000 tickets have been sold for the FFA Cup 2021 Final in just three days. Football Australia is pushing for an attendance of close to 15,000 for the clash at AAMI Park. Tickets are on sale via Ticketek

FFA Cup 2021 Final: Melbourne Victory FC vs. Central Coast Mariners FC 
Date: Saturday, 5 February 2022
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne 
Kick-off: 8pm AEDT
Broadcast: Live and free in Australia on Network 10 and simulcast on 10 Play – coverage commences at 7pm AEDT

Referee: Shaun Evans Assistants: Kearney Robinson & David Walsh Fourth Official: Andrew Lindsay
Tickets: Tickets available via Ticketek