As the A-League’s sixth season gathers momentum, discontent mounts over stalling attendance figures and the financial viability of the smallest franchises.

This week alone has seen Gold Coast United reintroduce the controversial crowd cap, in the words of billionaire owner Clive Palmer, “to make the club sustainable.” While fears remain over Newcastle Jets' ability to complete this weekend’s fixture against Brisbane Roar, despite Jets owner Con Constantine pleading with FFA to help out in acknowledgement of the $2-$3million the club loses annually.

''I have never before asked the FFA for a cent, and I have not missed a payment in 10 years,'' Constantine said. ''The short-term solution is for them to pay the wages for the boys, for a short period of time, and then we take over and everything will be as sweet as pie.”

How A-League fans must wish their owners were able to behave more like AC Milan’s Silvio Berlusconi.

Following a poor 2009-10 season in which Milan finished a disappointing third in Serie A and were humbled in the early stages of both the Coppa Italia and Champions League, just 37,000 fans turned up for the opening fixture of the new season at home to Lecce last Sunday. Considering the imposing San Siro can hold 80,000, the gaps in the stands raised some uncomfortable questions for one of the giants of European football.

Berlusconi’s solution? Entice them back by purchasing two of the most gifted footballers in the world, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho.

In just one week of spending, Berlusconi has amassed the most glamorous forward-line in club football as the pair join Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato on an enviable roster.

Beats closing three stands …

That Ibrahimovic is a former favourite of fierce rivals Internazionale only adds to his appeal. While Robinho, with more tricks than David Copperfield, is heir to Ronaldinho as the emblem of Brazilian flair. Publicity stunts they may be but both are proven competitors at the highest level and will be hungry to express themselves following disappointing recent transfers.

Milan’s season will now be dominated with conjecture over whether all four can play simultaneously in the same side and whether they should have used the finances to more evenly strengthen a squad reliant on veterans. The likelihood is at least one of the four, most probably Ronaldinho, will be squeezed out by the season’s close. In the meantime there is the mouth-watering prospect of four of football’s elite showmen sharing the pitch.

As Real Madrid’s failed experiments with Galacticos have shown, assembling talent is one thing, corralling it into a successful unit is another. The responsibility for this falls to new coach Massimiliano Allegri who arrives at the San Siro following consecutive Golden Bench awards for his achievements as coach of Cagliari. We will have to wait to find out whether such riches prove a blessing or a curse for Allegri but the minimum expected of him will be to improve on predecessor Leonardo’s disappointing campaign and attract more fans to home matches.

Milan’s next game at home in Serie A is on September 19 against tiny Catania where the success of Berlusconi’s strategy will be measured at the turnstiles.

The A-League clearly cannot compete with the history and riches of arguably Italy’s most powerful man but it might want to consider alternatives to closing stands or providing hand-outs to bolster the clubs on the margins.