Surely it’s time for some heads to roll at FFA headquarters, after Newcastle Jets management came out on Friday and re-asserted their desire to take no further part in the A-League.
It’s just one of many stuff-ups by the FFA, and comes after Hunter Sports Group and Nathan Tinkler, Australia’s richest man under 40, decided to pull the plug on the Newcastle Jets a fortnight ago.
HSG made a massive statement about the state of the A-League and its management by the FFA, and showed that the people currently running the game mightn’t necessarily be the best for the job.
For too long the FFA and its wealthy benefactor, Frank Lowy, have ruined the legitimacy of the A-League, dictating its operation for their own benefit and not that of the game in Australia.
For a sport that is considered ‘worldly’, the A-League is a far cry from being an all encompassing, ‘take your grandma to’ competition.
Tinkler came out on Thursday and apologised to the Newcastle footballing community, but spared no criticism of the FFA, who have been condemned for their actions more regularly of late.
“Soccer has an ownership model of established losses, a failure by the FFA to engage with communities and no sound commercial basis for its business relationships”, Tinkler told News Limited.
“While the A-League is funded by the club’s owners, they receive no input into the direction or governance of the game in Australia or the competition.”
So who’s responsible? Ben Buckley has taken a lot of flak lately and most of it is probably justified while Frank Lowy has done little to appease his critics.
Between the top five FFA executives, about $5 million is spent a year on their salaries, and from what we see (or don’t see), they aren’t worth it. The game suffers for it, especially when owners of clubs are each losing about $2 million a season!
Then there’s Frank Lowy, who for a man with a net worth of just under $4.5 billion, has invested little into the game other than his time.
Sure, he was one of the men responsible for the resurrection of football in Australia, but nine years on from his election as chairman of the FFA (several of those years anonymous), it’s now time for Lowy to take responsibility and accountability, and step down.
He has been found wanting when Australian football was in its darkest hours: Gold Coast United, North Queensland Fury, bungled Western Sydney deals and World Cup bids. When companies and wealthy men who are willing to invest money into the game speak out over ‘unsustainable business models’ and criticise the governing body for a ‘lack of confidence’ Lowy fires back, either kicking them out of the competition or suing the pants off them.
As Jets striker Michael Bridges wrote to the FFA, “Over the past seven years we have seen a variety of clubs collapse and others change ownership. This is not a stable environment for the competition, players and the fans… Our game needs the type of people who are prepared to back football with their money, passion and beliefs for the game.”
Reward the Tinklers of the game, and punish the dead weight.
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