Football’s internal rift widens - Paywall
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/football/as-matildas-slump-on-cup-debut-soccers-internal-rift-widens/news-story/d2c25428b8c0fdaa005e3348fb6a97e2
A new rift has opened within Australian soccer over the sacking of Alen Stajcic, with Football Federation Australia refusing to provide its own compliance committee with board documents showing why the Matildas coach was dumped five months before the World Cup.
As the Matildas’ loss to Italy in their opening World Cup match under interim coach Ante Milicic received scornful reviews, The Australian obtained correspondence between FFA chief executive David Gallop and FFA compliance committee chairman Greg Griffin revealing a dispute over the closely held documents.
Mr Griffin, a former Adelaide United chairman who previously clashed with the FFA board over a push to give A-League clubs greater say over the governance of the game, is seeking access to board minutes, papers and any legal advice that FFA directors considered on January 19 when they voted to terminate Mr Stajcic’s contract.
Australia’s loss to Italy, a nation playing its first women’s World Cup in 20 years, has intensified scrutiny on the Stajcic decision.
It has also increased pressure on FFA director Heather Reid, who two weeks ago publicly withdrew and apologised for comments she made in the aftermath of Stajcic’s departure, implying he had been sacked for misconduct.
Ms Reid, who has taken extended leave from her FFA duties to receive treatment for cancer, travelled to France at her own expense for the World Cup. Former Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has declared her board position untenable.
Canberra United coach Heather Garriock, a respected former Matilda who played three seasons under Stajcic in the W-League, described the Matildas’ loss as disastrous and the defensive tactics under Milicic as “absolutely ridiculous”.
“If you think as a coach you can come in and change your philosophy and change the style within five matches … we have just been crucified,’’ Garriock said.
Australia scored first in its match against Italy through a Sam Kerr penalty but played a ragged second half, conceding two goals to Italy’s Barbara Bonansea, including a heartbreaker in the 95th minute. Milicic defended his tactics and said the team lacked composure. The Matildas must beat Brazil on Friday to restore their prospects of advancing to the business end of the tournament.
Mr Griffin wrote to Mr Gallop last week requesting the board documents to enable his committee — an oversight body established as part of last year’s governance overhaul of the FFA and demanded by FIFA — to review whether the FFA followed its own complaint-handling rules and procedures in its treatment of Stajcic.
The request was rejected by Mr Gallop on behalf of the FFA board. The chief executive said the decision to terminate Stajcic’s contract had not involved a complaint nor FFA’s complaint procedures.
“The basis upon which you have sought access to confidential board documents is therefore in the respectful view of the FFA board misconceived,’’ Mr Gallop wrote.
Mr Griffin vowed to keep pushing for the release of the documents. “To be blunt, I find your response not only unacceptable but dismissive of what are entirely proper matters raised,’’ Mr Griffin said. “I think the board has made a serious error in judgment but it is not one that cannot be addressed and remedied. I therefore urge the board members to reconsider the position they have taken.’’
Mr Griffin’s intervention will be seen by some within football politics as an attempt to gain leverage over Mr Gallop and the FFA as the game moves towards a June 30 deadline for the governing body to surrender control of the A-League to the clubs.
Mr Griffin is general counsel of the Australian Professional Football Clubs Association and was appointed to the FFA Compliance Committee by the clubs. The only other member of the committee is John Didulica, chief executive of the players’ union.
If taken at face value, the dispute over documents goes to the heart of the unease surrounding Stajcic’s ejection from one of Australia’s most celebrated national women’s sporting teams.
Ms Reid, in a series of background comments to journalists in January, said that if people knew the truth about Stajcic’s behaviour they would be shocked and Stajcic would never work in women’s football again. Four months after those comments were made, Ms Reid apologised to Stajcic and the FFA issued a statement confirming that Stajcic had not been sacked for misconduct.
According to the statement, Stajcic’s contract was terminated solely for football reasons.
“FFA’s decision to do this was reached simply because its board formed the view, following a process undertaken by management, that the Matildas would benefit from a new coach for the FIFA World Cup in France,’’ the statement read.
Stajcic was the most successful coach of the national women’s team, taking the Matildas to the last eight of the 2015 World Cup and leading them to a historic victory over the US, the powerhouse of women’s football, in 2017. During the final six months of his tenure, the Matildas’ performances declined, prompting concerns that the coach had become stale and allowed an indulgent culture to take root.
It is understood that some of Stajcic’s fiercest critics were members of his own staff. There is also evidence that a group of influential women in football agitated to have Stajcic removed. Former Matilda Danielle Brogan, a friend and supporter of Stajcic, told The Weekend Australian her mentor was the victim of a gender-based campaign to install a woman as coach. The board documents sought by Mr Griffin would clarify what matters the board considered before it voted to part ways with Stajcic.
