FOOTBALL Federation Australia have issued the Fury a near-impossible ultimatum to keep the club off death row.

Battling North Queensland FC must somehow find a way to bank an average of $46,875 a day for the next 32 days – that’s $1.5 million – or the team’s short tenure in the A-League is all but over.

FFA confirmed they had agreed to cover half the Fury’s predicted $3 million losses for next season, but that still leaves a major shortfall, which must be filled by mid-January.

Adding to the difficulty, the money must be in the form of cold, hard cash, not just pledges.

With North Queensland FC not even set to be given the green light on releasing its community ownership model until later this week, club officials are understood to be stunned by the decision.

Fury chief executive Rabieh Krayem did not want to comment on the feasibility of raising the required finances yesterday.

Instead, the former Cowboys boss said he was working overtime with FFA in an effort to get them to reconsider the deadline.

"The advisory board and Fury management are in negotiations with FFA over the time lines required," Krayem said.

Unless that happens, Fury will ultimately need a billionaire white knight to step in, as happened with Nathan Tinkler for Newcastle a few months ago, to ensure their stint in the national league isn’t the equal shortest in competition history.

The Fury are adamant they have the structure and plan to make the club financially secure from 2012-13 and beyond.

But, like Adelaide, who were fully funded by FFA for close to two seasons before finding new owners, they need time.

Brisbane also continue to receive on-going funding from FFA.

The Townsville club, on the other hand, have had fewer than eight months since FFA took control in April and fewerthan six months since the governing body installed Krayem as the man to lead them.

From his June 10 start, Krayem has taken the Fury to third on the list of most lucratively sponsored clubs in the A-League.

The community ownership structure floated to FFA in mid-November will see the club looking to raise up to $6.3 million over three years to enable a community-based organisation to take over the A-League licence.

The proposal would allow for broad-based community ownership and tax-exempt status.

Sixty foundation members would be expected to fund $30,000 each over three years, as well as an unlimited number of "retain the Fury" members who would pay $3000 over three years.

Despite initial assurances of a swift answer from FFA, a response has been delayed.

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