It’s been a few weeks since my most recent post on The Roar and as always there’s so much to talk about in Australian football.
Whether it’s been the talk of ditching the Nix for a Sutherland-based team led by an FFA friend in Lyall Gorman, a senate hearing into the over-policing of Western Sydney Wanderers fans or ongoing friction with the players’ association over pay, controversy is never too far from the surface of Australian football.
But this week it’s been the 10th anniversary of the famous night John Aloisi thrust Australia through to a first World Cup in 32 years and the handing over of the football chairmanship from one Lowy to the next that have been the biggest talking points.
It’s been a fascinating week of retrospection and projection.
The FFA had carefully orchestrated a public relations exercise to say farewell and thanks to Frank Lowy, and usher in what they claim is a new regime, doing it at a time there is emotion and rejoice around the 10th anniversary of the night the Socceroos smashed Alvaro Recoba’s devine right to be in Germany.
What better way, it seemed, to pay homage to Lowy than to do it at a time when Socceroos fans are swept in the euphoria of one the greatest nights in Australian sporting history.
Evidently, this was part of the thinking.
A well produced documentary by the FFA’s broadcast partner, Fox Sports, re-living November 16, 2005, set up a feel-good mood, and the FFA used the opportunity to kill two birds with the one stone, honouring the class of 2005 and farewelling Lowy at the same time.
Little doubt he has played a huge and significant part in the birth of the A-League and growth of football over the past 12 years by getting Australia into the Asian Football Confederation. Yet, throughout, Lowy hasn’t built a great reputation for working with the football family and keeping them onside.
Indeed, a large part of the recent criticism of him is that the FFA want to control everything and don’t have enough football and people nous to deal with the breadth of work required across the game.
Most recently his legacy has been tarnished by a failed World Cup bid in which some of his decisions and practices were questioned.
So there was one last bit of PR required to ensure Lowy’s legacy was projected in a positive light, and that he’d be remembered as the victim of Sepp Blatter and Mohammed Bin Hammam’s evil games.
Enter “Played”, a documentary which aired on the ABC on Tuesday night.
It painted Lowy and his “team Australia” as being on the receiving end of some mightily sinister and dirty FIFA games, and there’s no doubt they were.
But there’s also no doubt Lowy was totally out-played in the ugly world of football politics. After all, he was the man charged with overseeing the $45 million of government funding, and setting up a team to use it wisely. On this front he failed.
To think that he would let the bid team come up with a disrespectful video depicting an animated Kangaroo stealing the World Cup, or, even worse, it being hand-passed and kicked around the MCG as if it were a Sherrin.
‘Cringeworthy’ was the term used at the time by most who saw it and there’s no doubt Lowy and his confidants made a grouse error of judgement in letting it go through to the keeper.
Played depicted Lowy as the one who was manipulated, betrayed and lied to, and there’s no doubt Australia’s bid was eaten alive.
But he and the bid didn’t appear to do itself many favours, and as the leader Lowy was the man ultimately accountable for it. This point wasn’t strongly represented in Played.
And there’s another juxtaposition at play here.
If the FFA are accusing football’s governing body of running a pre-ordained race for the 2022 World Cup, then they can be accused of exactly the same thing when it comes to the baton change at the top of the game here.
Steven Lowy was keen to stress at his inaugural press-conference on Tuesday afternoon that nothing was handed to him, but only a fool would believe that.
This was far from an exhaustive search by a consultancy company hand-picked by Frank Lowy to install his son to the throne and continue his so-called legacy.
While Frank has done so much for the game, ultimately his legacy was tarnished by an inability to connect at all levels.
Yes, he might have wined and dined John Howard and the well-to-dos in Sydney’s east and north, but his rule of the game was often perceived as autocratic and dictatorial.
Consultation wasn’t a big strength of Lowy Sr, and it seemed he always wanted to have control, even ignoring a key Crawford Report recommendation around the establishment of an independent commission to run the A-League.
Such has been the level of micro-control under his leadership that it’s impossible to think he won’t continue to pull his son’s strings.
Indeed, for much of his reign there was a tense standoff between him and a multitude of A-League club owners who felt it was his way or the highway and that they had little autonomy.
I remember in 2012, copping backlash for his lack of engagement with A-League owners, Lowy announced the establishment of the Joint A-League Strategic Committee (JALSC). Did we ever hear much about this initiative which was touted at the time as a new era of FFA-club collaboration?
In recent times it’s been the Professional Footballers’ Association, fans and even broadcasters that have been offside with the FFA.
Give and take hasn’t always been his greatest strength and he has looked increasingly ruffled in recent years.
I remember being at Lowy Sr’s A-League announcement press conference all those years ago when he urged Australia and football fans to get behind it. In the main they have, but there is still so much room for improvement, only that fans and stakeholders feel their voices aren’t often heard.
Steven Lowy now talks of listening, consulting and building or mending relationships with football stakeholders, perhaps an admission his dad didn’t do a great job on this front.
The test for Lowy Jr is whether he’ll still be listening and consulting in three or five years time, or however long he is in the chair. The other test will be to prove he’s his own man.
Steven’s time as FFA Chair will be judged on his ability to get his organisation working together with fans, media, A-League clubs, their owners, the players’ association, state member federations and their broadcast partners.
Very few like the way he has ascended into the top job, but it’s now over to him to win over hearts and minds and make the A-League and football in general more viable, stable and united.
Behind him appears to be a very inexperienced board, and David Gallop this week touched upon an apparent need to bring them up to speed with the breadth of issues across Australian football.
This lack of genuine football knowledge on the board appears worrying at first glance, particularly when it seems the guidance will come from below.
Undoubtedly they deserve some time to listen and survey the scene, but with such a misguided process the pressure is on to get it right and ensure that Steven Lowy’s time at the helm is more about working together rather than controlling everything.
jbinnie
Guest
SirTony = What one would descibe as a slightly "jaundiced eye" opinion that puts your knowledge of the time frame you mention into the "not very well versed" basket.The "Balkan influence" you mention came into that time frame very late and was actually a minor contributor to the deep rooted problems that scuttled the NSL over it's 27 year lifetime. Frank Lowy was heavily involved in the early days of that organisation and could be said to be fully aware of the maneuverings that saw him leave the game. Being what he is,an extremely successful business man I think it would almost be "second nature" that saw him set up his management structure in the way that he did,and with his"idea"only 12 years old he is well aware that it is still "early days" and has taken steps to ensure the continuation of his policies through a lineage he can trust completely. Can he be blamed????? I leave that to the people with the years,the experiences and the memories to remember your "time frame" Cheers jb
fiddlesticks
Guest
what are you on? are you fuss cousin?
jbinnie
Guest
Mid . You really have to start and lift your standards above those of the fanatical fan when watching our game.I have seen all CCM's games and it has to be obvious to you that at this point in time they are not really equipped to make a play for the top positions in the HAL. Now I know you could run out multiple reasons to me as to why what I say is so ,and I don't dispute your right to do so, but always remember to look at both sides of the coin when you pass comments, for your team was not the only one short of key players,and I know you can cite that Victory have 5 class overseas players,at least another 2 who have come directly or indirectly from other HAL clubs, but that is the way the HAL is structured and I suppose will continue to be structured until such times as changes to the structures are put in place. Keep up the good work. Cheers,your mate jb
Justin Mahon
Guest
Thank you Frank Lowy for all you did for the game. Not perfect by any means, but sometimes you got t break some eggs. I am interested To t to know why it is that for every single dispute the FFA has, be it the players union, the hopeless SBS or any of the others you mentioned - that it must be somehow the FFA's fault. Automatically. As if it were a law that any critic of the FFA is beyond reproach themselves. Mate, disputes happen. They happen because people promote their own interests. I, for one, think the Low era will be seen for what it was by any reasonable person - a wonderfull success. As to the AFL crowd lining up for the 15th time to cry 'nepotism'. Any two of the nine members could have called for a vote. They didn't. This is how 95% of laws go through our parliaments. Democracy isn't always expressed as disagreement. Congratulations David. Now if you can achieve half of what your father did I'll be delighted.
jbinnie
Guest
Waz - Let's go back in time ever so slightly to an A.S.F. AGM being run in the Wentworth Hotel in Sydney at which a new deputy leader was to be picked, the previous long standing President having stated he would be standing down the following year and had intimated he would like his Vice President to spend a year getting to know the job.Every interested club and association were present and of the two men standing for the job it fell to the normal "democratic"??? vote to elect the successor. However before the vote was taken it was quite plain there were "lobbyists" all around the room,some armed with mobile phones (not so small in those days)who were telling deligates,not advising mind you, but telling delegates who they had to vote for.One of the men standing got absolutely "thrashed" when the vote was counted.That man walked out of the game then and stayed out for the following 20 years. The rather strange occurrence came to pass in the following year when the top position was to be filled and surprise ,surprise a stalemate was reached between Melbourne and Sydney identities and the solution??????? They gave the position to a Queensland rep.who only lasted 1 year in the job. Thats how football was being run in the early 80's and as you know ,went downhill at a steady rate of knots until,the government went "cap-in-hand" to the man who had been "democratically ousted"?????? 20 years before to ask him to take charge. And so we got the HAL. Now IMO that man has no desire to see the structures of yesteryear once again enter the professional mainstream of football in this country and ,because of age slowing him down,he feels the need to stand down,who better to take his place that his own flesh and blood. Cheers jb ps. to those who wish to comment I was present at that meeting and was approached,and told,who to vote for by a man who was subsequently entered into football's hall of fame for his services to the game !!!jb
marron
Roar Guru
Nepotism exists in every business. Everywhere. It ranges from outright favoritism to the way that kids of businessmen, by virtue of connections and upbringing, are well placed to take advantage. As football fans we are not shareholders. We are not customers. We just want football to be in capable hands. Hands that know the deal. I'm sure there was plenty of worry about gill maclachlan and his private school and board level and personal legups into the afl commission but he's done alright hasn't he.
Punter
Guest
Ryan, it is water of a ducks back for most football fans, it's the non football fans who seem more worried about it.
Bondy
Guest
Frank's pretty much done most of the donkey work with the HAL .Now Steven has to almost surpass Frank's achievements , where the HAL in modern times is now a mainstream sport it wasn't under F Lowy for quite some time .. Frank's been in control of FFA for 12 years now he must have done ok to be there that long and in fairness or democracy, he is leaving ...
Sydneysider
Guest
Fair point AR, I guess the same could be said for other sports with the list you have shown above, especially the part about only follow one sport. all the code war warriors are the same. I'm not a code war warrior though as I support several sports and football codes.
Punter
Guest
Ange also believes football grand final winners are more important then the 1st past the post. You just can't help some people, despite them holding important roles.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Agree with this post Waz. It may not be an ideal start for Lowy Jr with how he got there but there is still much work to do. Grow the game across the board and that is what is going to be remembered. I hope desperate decisions aren't made to drown out this initial noise, but also there has been no press on any failed businesses so at this point he may well be the right man to lead the FFA. Also I wonder if a different person was chosen for the role from this process that the same conversations would be occurring about said process? Either way this process probably won't occur again but what the next election will be like is a board discussion for another time.
Sir Tony Abbott - Ambassador to Russia
Guest
Fussyballs - when you have the gold my friend, you make the rules. Until then just enjoy the ride in the back of the bus.
Sir Tony Abbott - Ambassador to Russia
Guest
At least it has kept the Balkan looney brigade out of it. Why do you reckon the game got nowhere from the 1970s to the early 2000s?
Blinky47
Guest
Thats a little bit "touchie !' I was'nt having a go at your game, I was just pointing out that with all the rubbish going on with FIFA, having a Lowy replace a Lowy is bound to raise a few eyebrows and give ammunition to people who would like to damage soccer. I am not one of them.
Sydneysider
Guest
true.....
Ian
Guest
thanks kevin dustby, i mean pat malone, i mean smell the fear.......
Ian
Guest
You mean how you said Australia playing New Zealand is meaningless in rugby union because no one in Australia really plays rugby? and Uruguary is a nothing nation in football because it has 3/4 million people? Which sports in Australia do we really play according to you Casper? Let me guess......
fiddlesticks
Guest
thanks Uncle Junior, so far i have heard from one person who does not care? can you nominate the others?
smell the fear
Guest
what business dealings have your had with steve lowy? what has he done for himself that his family did not give him up a leg up in?
kevin dustby
Guest
hi bondy, real football, punter or the guy with the victory player as his motif?