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NRL clubs are in open revolt against ARL Commission chairman John Grant, as Penrith supremo Phil Gould savages the governing bodys handling of club funding.Its understood representatives from all 16 clubs have signed a letter, calling on Grant to resign, and asking for an emergency meeting to vote on his future.The two parties look set for a showdown, with NRL boss Todd Greenberg on Thursday publicly backing Grant.The dispute centres on club funding after the NRL on Wednesday had removed from the table an in-principle agreement which had been put together last year.Grant requires the support of just four clubs to survive, however with all 16 chairmen and chairwomen signing a letter asking for his resignation, he appears to be on thin ice.Representatives from Canterbury, North Queensland, Cronulla and Melbourne on Wednesday walked out on a meeting with the governing body after the agreement to fund clubs at 130 per cent of the salary cap was pulled.Greenberg on Thursday denied the deal was dead and buried, insisting the NRL simply wanted to concentrate on negotiating the collective bargaining agreement and salary cap first.However Gould, one of the most-powerful men in the game, took to Twitter to refute Greenbergs claims and accused Grant of going back on his word.He accused the NRL of reneging on the previously agreed funding model, among other complaints.Greenberg defended Grant and hosed down talk of a move by clubs to oust him, saying he had no doubt he should remain in charge of the independent commission.Johns a good man who works hard and always puts the game first, Greenberg said on Thursday.And hes continued to do that as the chairman. I have absolute faith in that.Club bosses are frustrated they havent reached an agreement, nearly 12 months after signing a memorandum of understanding over club funding, and are concerned they wont receive a fair share of the $1.8 billion television deal.Explaining the delay, Greenberg said the commission and NRL had to be mindful of the welfare of the game overall, including looking after bush and grassroots-level football amid concerns about a drop in participation numbers.Weve got some concerns about where were heading, Greenberg said.Were not the only sport concerned about participation trends.What that means is weve got to think very carefully about our strategy and how we apply funds, whether its in regional areas in the bush or in the city areas.Another meeting between Grant and the clubs was scheduled for next week.Rugby League Players Association chairman Clint Newton said he wasnt yet concerned that the salary cap for the 2018 season hadnt been set even though it was proving difficult for some players to negotiate contracts. 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The scientists believe the small earthquake during a Marshawn Lynch touchdown was likely greater than Lynchs famous "beast quake" touchdown run three years ago, which also came against New Orleans during a playoff game. PHILADELPHIA -- During Bawitha Tlings tumultuous journey fleeing war and forced labor under Myanmars dictatorship -- first to a Malaysian refugee camp, and eventually to Philadelphia -- one of the few constants in his life was soccer.We played every day in our country at school ... in recess time or after school, Tling said. I came here, and play every day, every weekend. Soccer is my favorite way to relax myself, to escape depression.Tling, 18, now a business major at a community college, is one of around 800 players participating in a newly created soccer tournament for immigrants organized by the city of Philadelphia. The first match, between Vietnam and Mexico, is scheduled for Friday.The 32 teams represent countries from India to Ireland, Cambodia to Congo. In the months running up to the tournament, named the Unity Cup, theyve been practicing several times a week and holding dozens of friendly matches.Interest in the inaugural event was strong. Within five days of opening registration, all the team slots were taken, with captains delivering commitment letters by hand to the citys Office of Immigrant Affairs.There were people waiting outside the office before they opened at 8 oclock in the morning, said Bill Salvatore, Unity Cup organizer with the citys Department of Parks and Recreation. It was pretty intense.Philadelphias foreign-born population has been booming, growing from barely 100,000 in 1990 to over 200,000 this year -- about 13 percent of the population, according to a report by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Still, the citys professional soccer team, the Union, gets only a fraction of the attention showered on its football and baseball franchises.The Unity Cup championship will be held Nov. 5 at Citizens Bank Park, home of Major League Baseballs Philadelphia Phillies, and city officials expect at least 5,000 people to attend. The winning team will receive a trophy modeled on the National Hockey Leagues Stanley Cup, with names of the victors engraved each year.Organizers are planning an international festival in the stadiums pparking lot, with food trucks, craft stalls and performances.ddddddddddddThe Unity Cup is the brainchild of Mayor Jim Kenney, who says he got his inspiration from the World Cup.Remember, soccer is in every neighborhood, said Kenney, the descendent of Irish immigrants fleeing famine. The trash talking and the competitions already started between Mexico and Italy, between the Irish and the Polish, the Germans are calling out the Senegalese -- I mean its awesome, its going to be fun.The teams arent restricted by nationality, either. The Indian team has players from Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Morocco and Egypt -- giving Indian players a chance to build comradery with other immigrants, not just play against them.I really enjoy meeting new guys, forming new networks. The game is a really beautiful game for bringing people together, said Thorne Holder, a Trinidadian living in Philadelphia and the goalie for team Germany. Soccer is a team sport. I think thats what gives it its allure -- friends, friendship, common interests.Immigrants have long played soccer through grassroots organizations, but the Unity Cup appears to be the first immigrant soccer tournament organized by a government body in the country, according to city officials and U.S. Soccer, the countrys governing body of soccer.Demand has been so high that plans are already being drawn up for next year, with the potential for knockout preliminary rounds by continent -- Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas -- in order to accommodate more teams. The city envisions the Unity Cup will become a yearly event, Salvatore said.Players are enthusiastic about the chance to chat with people from ethnic enclaves all over Philadelphia whom they never would have met otherwise.Its like family, said Indian team captain Matthew Varughese, an engineer who moved to the U.S. as a child. Were not competing for money ... Were like brothers. Its good, its fun, you know -- its family. ' ' '