Football Federation Australia lost sight long ago of what they are employed to do, and now practically every key stakeholder wants them out of the game.
Perhaps it’s fitting that there was no mention of fan representation in yesterday’s ill-fated Congress, because the FFA has ignored what fans want for years.
For the good of the game? FFA’s mantra may as well have been ‘for the good of ourselves,’ and any notion they will do what’s right for football in Australia was dispelled by chairman Steven Lowy’s reaction to the news he had failed to garner the majority needed to get his power-sharing agreement over the line.
“Those who voted against progress today are those that want to take the game to the bad old days,” said Lowy in the aftermath of the fateful vote.
“We will now communicate with FIFA to discuss the next steps.”
Tin-eared, tone deaf and in denial – it’s as though Lowy and his cohorts inhabit a parallel universe, one where Ange Postecoglou didn’t just resign as Socceroos coach, where crowds and TV ratings in the A-League aren’t going backwards and FIFA isn’t about to land on our doorstep and take control of our affairs.
Such is the obstinance of Lowy – a man who wasn’t democratically elected but rather parachuted into the job by his father – he’s already suggested he’s prepared to take legal action against any FIFA attempts to impose a normalisation committee on Australia.
There are no hints he’ll step aside. When it comes to doing the right thing by football, it seems it’s either Lowy’s way or the highway to hell.
(AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts)
The absurd thing is that this could all have been avoided.
Had certain state federations not back-flipped on a power-sharing agreement back in July, their leaders wouldn’t now be looking up how to buy FIFA World Cup tickets for next year.
Even then, FFA has known for months that Football Federation Victoria president Kimon Taliadoros was unlikely to vote for the FFA’s proposed 9-4-1-1 power-sharing agreement.
And they’ve known for years that A-League clubs wanted greater representation.
What did they do with that knowledge? Denied. Stalled. Obfuscated.
They even had the gall to demand that unhappy A-League clubs furnish them with evidence of so-called conflicts of interest.
The subsequent 13-page document produced by the Australian Professional Football Clubs Association is damning.
It may only contain information already publicly available, but it highlights the level of anger towards a cabal of chosen elites who seem to think they’re entitled to run football without attracting any scrutiny.
It’s those same acolytes now fighting tooth and nail to avoid being turfed out by FIFA.
That’s not to suggest that running a nascent football league is easy, let alone one in a country as hostile to the game as Australia.
It should be acknowledged that the foundation and largely successful administration of the A-League is a genuine success story.
But in a year the Socceroos qualified for a World Cup, the Matildas became one of the hottest properties in sport and Sydney FC enjoyed a record-breaking campaign, who is currently focusing on the football?
Certainly not the FFA.
The game is stuck in a rut – the dwindling crowds, the disgruntled clubs, the stagnant TV ratings and the distant dream of expansion are all proof of that.
(AAP Image/Darren England)
No doubt some of those who wish to see Steven Lowy removed from power are harbouring their own agendas, and it’s possible the game might not flourish under their control either.
But you can’t say Football Federation Australia haven’t had their chance.
They seemed to forget long ago that their duty is to look after football – not their salaries, not their egos, nor their sideline access to Socceroos games.
For too long they’ve ignored the will of the people.
But there’s one thing they can’t ignore. The arrival of FIFA.
Rolly
Guest
Sport is not a normal business most clubs in most codes run at a loss look at the NrL only two clubs are profitable .crowds fluctuate every season .its not a major concern but is a concern we need a 16 team comp FFA have failed football, time for them all to stand down
j,binnie
Guest
Waz - I too have long ago given up what system JA is trying to get his teams to play.This display did not change that viewpoint, it was only because the opponents were even worse that Roar managed to get the 2 valuable points. The best example of my problem is the Frenchman, who is obviously a very talented player, but from watching the geographical nature of his positional play I think we can take it he too is very much aware of the lack of a real play-meaker (just like Broich was ????) and is trying very hard to fill that void even though he is listed as a winger on the team sheets. I have never before felt so motivated to turn off the TV such was the lack of good football evident and only Maccarone's volley, the introduction of a half fit ???? Franjic, the play of Bautheac and the Spanish midfielder in the Wests team managed to maintain my interest. Such was the amount of bad passing evident in the game it is hard to see any of these teams getting any better. Cheers jb.
Waz
Guest
jb. Sleep fest yes, Aloisi really needed that win tho, not a draw and certainly not a defeat, you could see it etched all over his face pre-kick off. Couldn’t figure out his set up but I suspect he had a 442 most of the game, very conservative and plenty of long balls out of defence. The highlight was the goals. Maccarone’s was special not so much for the finish but his positioning was outstanding in the build up - he was in place for the initial (poor) cross, then moved again to give Skapetis an option and then again for Bautheac who got the assist because of it. D’aggers should study that. Franjic’s was excellent - again not least because the move had broken down with the WSW defenders 4-2 on Brisbane’s attackers so had D’aggers made the correct pass the move would have died, as it was Franjic had the nouce to come back inside and chance his arm with an excellent shot
j,binnie
Guest
Waz - Having a "birth interest" in Scottish football and a link into the workings of the ruling body, the Scottish Football Association some 50 years ago I decided to try and find out how things had changed in those years bearing in mind of course that back then Scotland as a country was held in quite high regard in the international scene. That situation has now changed quite dramatically of course with Scotland more on a level with Australia as a "football nation" so I decided to take your advice and see what today's SFA has to offer. Things have certainly changed in a big way with the ruling body apparently split into 6 sub- associations covering different levels of the game. The parent body appears to maintain some sort of control by having 3 or 4 sitting members in each of these sub- admins. and so it goes on down the line. The overall impression is one of huge changes in administrative practices but one is still left to wonder if, all this "new" improvement has yet to affect the standard of play being provided by one of those "new" bodies,the Scottish Professional Footballers Association when in fact results tell us otherwise. Cheers jb. ps What about that sleep fest yesterday?. Two flashes of individual brilliance in 94 minutes of "football" !!! jb.
j,binnie
Guest
Nemesis - The NSL commenced in 1977 under the auspices of the Australian Soccer Federation , an august body headed by Sir Arthur George and to the best of my knowledge they continued running that comp. under other personalities like John Constantine until around 1995 when ,under pressure, they were forced to re-constitute under the heading "Soccer Australia" by which time the NSL was in fact 18 years old. The remaining 7 years of the NSL were truly forgettable. Cheers jb.
j,binnie
Guest
Alice Springs- Weather aside, your observation is "spot on" Last season, after 42 games had been played, the HAL had attracted 582,156 fans to all games. This season, after 42 games have been played, the HAL has attracted 494,416 fans to all games. This indicates a fall in "sales revenue (gate money)" of 15%. A reduction like that in any normal business after a "33% year" would be cause for instant action. jb.
pacman
Guest
Sorry Waz, I have been away on a commercial salvage operation today. I get your point, and agree in part that the FFA could, perhaps, have handled the situation much better. There again, we do not know what other commercial transgressions, if any, occurred. I suspect there is more to this than has been revealed. At the end of the day, it was Ange who made the ill considered comments, and he is not the first, and will not be the last, to suffer humiliation due to not thinking before speaking. He brought it upon himself. As for it being "...very simple to have a quite word with Ange on the topic."? Once again, it was Ange who went public. A "quiet word" would have seen him, in the eyes of the public, as being the omniscient one, the winner. Not a good look. Cheers.
pacman
Guest
Strange isn't it? I go to Suncorp to watch the footy, and so do the many people I talk with at the game. Same when I go the the local NPL games in winter, even though the footy is then of a much, much lower standard. I still go, and once again, I get the impression that the majority of spectators are not interested in footy politics. Let "majority" indicate a figure well over 90%, IMHO.
Alicesprings
Guest
Fans seem to be voting with their feet - ANZ practically empty. The pressure for Lowy 2.0 to hand over the reins is surely immense. What he thinks can be gained is anyones guess.
Waz
Guest
“How will getting rid of Gallop and Lowy and replacing them with the heads of the state federations and the A-League clubs make things better?” .... how will keeping them work out? I’d rather have Sepp Blatter than any Lowy right now !!!
Marco
Guest
Fluff - Fluff & more fluff
Nemesis
Guest
Thanks. That's a real eye-opener. Basically, FFA is inefficiently administering the ALeague.... which is exactly what we expect & why an independent administration is needed.
Waz
Guest
Here you go: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/threehundredpage-blueprint-of-australian-football-sent-to-fifa-for-aleague-future-20171201-gzwz8c.html
Waz
Guest
pacman, it would have been very simple to have a quite word with Ange on the topic. Humiliation is calling a press conference with tv, radio, print press and internet journalists present. The FFA humiliated him, deliberately, no employee should have to put up with that.
valhalla
Guest
still suffering from soccer fatigue huh??? dont worry - your xmas rejuvination isnt too far away
Caltex TEN & SBS support Australian Football
Guest
Waz - do you have a link to this report?
Nemesis
Guest
Interesting. I'd be keen to read this report - is it publicly available? Been focused on the WC Finals Draw, so haven't caught up with other news. Don't know how people allegedly watch multiple sports, currently, I can't keep up with all the football news ... just focusing on Australia! Full round of EPL & all domestic leagues around the world coming; then UCL next week plus the ACL 2018 Draw.
punter
Guest
Sorry Jack Reilly, see Football National Radio.
Waz
Guest
Report out today that the FFA spend $7m on administrating the A League while in Scotland they spend $2m on administering a 42 team comp. That $5m extra is equivalent to 50 people costing $100k/year. If it’s true, and there’s no reason to doubt it, that level of spending is unforgivable and blame sits squarely on Gallops shoulders as CEO signing off budgets. Benchmarking against overseas competition would seem a reasonable thing to do so you have to ask, did the FFA benchmark and if so how is a 3.5x overspend defendable? And if not, why not? The FFA need to go. They’re an incompetent ship of fools.
Ken
Guest
The sooner fifa sack the lot of them at FFA the better the game will be .we need on group who control the national team said answers junior soccer in this côuntry one group that runs the. ALeague and the state Feds run the state comps .the A league needs to grow to 16 teams Sooner rather than later ,the competition in the A league is too small to predictable too capital city centric there are more than enough interest from Asia if need be to help fund our new teams .get on with the job and stop this nonsense