Last week it was revealed that FFA paid consultants a total of $6.72 million of taxpayers’ money, including a reputed $3.63 million to the Abold consultancy firm, for whom Fedor Radmann was the figurehead.
Radmann’s connection was arguably overshadowed by that of another controversial lobbyist, Peter Hargitay, whose close association with FFA chief Frank Lowy and FIFA Ethics Committee member Les Murray attracted close media scrutiny in the wash-up of the failed bid.
Whether Four Corners will reveal any new information in tonight’s exposé remains to be seen, but clearly the program has the potential to further embarrass an already chastened FFA.
A number of experienced journalists, including Ray Gatt of The Australian, have already alleged they were asked to withhold critical stories which could potentially hurt the World Cup bid.
Despite attempting to wield their considerable influence behind the scenes, FFA apparently saw no use in having one of their employees front the ABC cameras and deliver their side of the story to the Four Corners team.
That seems an odd decision when they have experienced media man Kyle Patterson at their disposal, who as we’ve all seen is a dab hand in front of a television camera.
One of Patterson’s former employers – Sydney’s cavernous ANZ Stadium – was the beneficiary of another curious FFA decision late last week.
The 83,500-capacity venue will host Australia’s upcoming World Cup qualifier against Oman next month, where a Category A seat will cost fans the princely sum of $90.
The decision to host the fixture at the much-maligned ground is invariably the result of commercial agreements, however Socceroos fans should feel short-changed with the more compact Sydney Football Stadium lying just twenty kilometres down the road.
There’s no chance of a full house turning out for the clash – no disrespect to Oman intended – but it seems Socceroos supporters are viewed as little more than passive consumers in the eyes of the FFA, rather than a potentially crucial source of inspiration to the team.
It’s another decision by the FFA which I question, but there will nevertheless be Australian football fans who continue to back the game’s governing body to the hilt.
At times there’s almost a collective unwillingness to acknowledge the mistakes made by those in charge, making it harder for football to strengthen its position in Australian’s crowded and hyper-competitive sporting landscape.
That’s why tonight’s report could unmask some uncomfortable truths, as some of Australia’s most dogged investigative reporters try to uncover what went wrong with Australia’s doomed bid.
A best-case scenario would see the program fail to reveal any new information of substance and hopefully close the book on a noble but misguided chapter in Australian football history.
A much more damaging scenario might see new lines of inquiry open at a time when the powers that be are hoping to put the World Cup bid behind them and concentrate on hosting a critical new A-League campaign.
Liv
Guest
Four Corners knows nothing about the world of football and much less still about the bidding process. They should have spent their time and TAXYPAYERS' MONEY on investigating the corruption with FIFA rather than heaping all the blame the FFA (which in my opinion was only doing their job and ran a campaign that was no doubt the cleanest one of all the bidders) and implicitly too, Frank Lowry. They should also have questioned Betina Mersiades why she left FFA. Her views could hardly be deemed objective. Most of all, criticising Frank Lowry is just bad manners in my opinion. The Socceroos wouldn't be where they are today without Lowry and as much as he is despotic, a little gratitude is due.
Jon
Guest
Poor timing I admit - on the back of the Global Financial Crisis - Matheson owned a golf club and his wasnt the only one that went under during that period. But considering the Fury had the third best sponsorship of any club, had financial gaurentees from council and Football Queensland, and had members signed up to become shareholders of the club - my beef is with the FFA for not letting us have a go. Even Buckley is quoted as saying it takes five years to establish a business - keeping to his word and throwing his support behind the Fury would have nipped off any negative publicity and given the Fury time to prove themselves. Even the Cowboys have struggled with gate numbers this year and they blamed Yassi, the GFC, and stadium management - the same issues were confronted by the Fury but it appears the North of Australia have once again been forgotten...
j binnie
Guest
Jaji - Great news indeed but do you never question why,after 34 years of "national" football leagues, we still have to search European leagues for the new "golden generation.This simple " litmus test "has to show we still cannot finish off their education here,why??????? JB
j binnie
Guest
Jon- Thanks for the reply.I do apologise for calling "David" the mayor,for I did hear him described as Vice-Mayor. Actually I was quite pleased with the way he handled himself but he did NOT mention the guarantees you mention so you'll have to excuse my ignorance in these matters.Do not take the wrong message out of my remarks I do not blame the people of Townsville for the loss of the Fury,after all, their attendance figures were only a little less than Heart & much better than GCU. What I do question was the screening of the "winning" franchise that inside 12 months was in financial difficulty.Who did the screening? The FFA an organisation desperate for expansion but not too good it seems at assessing historical data showing this is easier said than done. ????? jb
Jon
Guest
Townsville Ratepayers gave a financial gaurentee to secure the Fury as did Football Queensland. The Fury's ownership model should have been allowed to be tested. Ps David will get a big head if you call him Mayor - he's a soccer-tragic deputy mayor about to enter state politics... worth keeping an eye on...
JAJI
Guest
Keep on working it out Butch. I have been involved in the game since the late 1980's and am completely independent in my opinions having been able to compare the old days with the new. . Do you really want to go back to the good old days of 2004 when they didnt even open up the top deck of the Mick Cronin stand at Parramatta Stadium for the NSL Grand Final?
Roger
Guest
I like those figures!
Axelv
Guest
And Lol at Galati, after finding out a little bit more info on him, his interview was quite funny (laughing at him). Lowy and Buckley have been inept at times but they are a million times better than how Soccer Australia was run, that's for sure.
apaway
Guest
One of the most quotable quotes from the program came from Hagirty himself; paraphrasing, but he said the bid cost .000045% of GDP and if successful would have delivered 10-12% of GDP to the country. "Is that a risk worth taking?"
apaway
Guest
Ali I'm not sure I follow how a vote for Australia was a vote for England. They were bidding for different tournaments.
ItsCalledFootball
Roar Guru
To put this in context, the full cost of the 2000 Olympics bid was never revealed by the NSW government and we will never know how much was spent on it http://www.liebreich.com/LDC/HTML/Olympics/London/Sydney.html The Olympics committee were also accused of using bribes and sweeteners, even prostitutes to get votes and that was never investigated. The Australian media has a vested interest to put down football at every opportunity, particularly when it looks like increasing in popularity - cue Harry Kewell arriving in Australia.
j binnie
Guest
Just watched the program &, as many have said before, there was not a lot that was new to dedicated followers of the game just an insight, accompanied with much innuendo, into how the "democratic" system as perceived by football's hierachies both in Switzerland,& other points around the world (Oz included), are operated by those in charge. Unfortunately this conduct is not contained just to football, it has become a way of doing things in business,government,& councils & that is evidenced every other day in our media sources as someone is "hauled over the coals" for some misdemeanour or other, usually concerned with money and/or the distribution of funds.Actually the program gave some good film publicity to junior football & to be honest I thought the dad who quoted it was costing him a $1000/ year for his 4 kids and $300 for his own participation ,did not seem overly concerned at the cost. A couple of things did stand out, the union official who refused to comment, or pass an opinion, on, the FFA 'S CEO. Hargitay's continued misunderstanding of the English language when asked by the reporter what he,Hargitay,had meant when he used the word "everything" in an answer to a question?( Oxford dictionary says - "all things"). The young Townsville mayor who spoke very well of how the loss of Fury would affect his community but did not come up with a solution to the club's financial problems.All in all a re-hash of things that have gone before,very little of substance & lots of unanswered questions as to how the distribution & uses of the $ 40 millions was policed & audited. jb
Axelv
Guest
I thought the report on 4 corners was fantastic, gave a good background to what's been happening in the last 5 years. All the characters in it, i more or less knew who they were and what their motives were, i learned a few more things that i wasn't sure about before. It let us know how our money was spent and how the FIFA game worked, the neglect of the A-League and lost opportunity in North Queensland. was well worth the watch, if you google 4 corners, I'm sure ABC will have a replay for you. There was no anti soccer agenda or whatever as some people here have preconceived, just information on what's been happening, most of us that have been following already know it. The interviews of the people involved are still interesting to watch, including Haggity and Bonita.
Griffo
Guest
The junior fees snippet was very broad brush in painting grassroots participation costs. Different costs at similar competition levels across the states - I believe the parents interviewed have their kids in elite teams in NSWF judging by the yearly bill.
jamesb
Guest
nothing new here. best we learn from the experience and move on. no point re-visiting the world cup bid time and time again
Karmikel Funk
Roar Rookie
No - nothing new - it was like a re-run of old Jesse Fink blogs. And Mercedes got her chance to bag out at the FFA for sacking her. She must have been on for 30 minutes or more - got a real good chance to give her side of the story. Nothing positive to say at all. They were so desperate for content they even went on about NQ fury being axed, which they claimed was because we lost the bid. The high cost of registrations, again because we lost the WC bid. And Perth Glory losing money, which was the fault of the FFA and the failed WC bid. Look, the FFA make mistakes, but so do other codes and other teams lose money too. Australia will always be a backward football nation with the sort of treatment it gets from the media. AFL and NRL are safe no matter what they get up to.
pete4
Guest
Yes they did. Mersiades gives her version of events of the WC bid and they interview Hargitay and his links to Bin Hamman. They mention NQ Fury and the game being run by an independent commission. But again no nothing new was added that hasn't been said many times before
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
About to watch it now ... did they also mention it's the most popular code to play for juniors? When you have a product that can be priced HIGH without affecting demand - despite the presence of numerous cheaper and allegedly ;-) superior competitive substitutes ... well, you know that you've hit the jackpot.
pete4
Guest
Watched the 4 Corners program and I don't think it said anything new. Mostly concentrated on the conduct of officials in Oceania and West Indies but again nothing new there and possible link with AusAID. Oh plus saying it's the most expensive code to play for juniors
Tim
Guest
Work for the FFA, much?