Here’s some free advice for new FFA chairman Chris Nikou. Most fans don’t care about the machinations that you got you into the job, they simply want you to fix football’s problems.
If Football Federation Australia’s biggest issue was that its former leader Steven Lowy was viewed as an out-of-touch corporate suit answerable only to himself, then the appointment of Nikou is unlikely to kick-start the radical revolution many were undoubtedly hoping for.
And if the previously publicity-shy Nikou is worried about being portrayed by the media as yet another shadowy boardroom politician, then he’d better get on the front foot and start doing the rounds.
An FFA board member since October 2014 – meaning he served under the Lowy regime – Nikou told The Age’s Michael Lynch that the suggestion he had a foot in both camps was “an insult”.
But here’s the problem, Chris.
For too long football has been held hostage by faceless men – and they’re almost always men – who have obstructed the game’s progress by making rent-seeking decisions designed to keep them in power at the expense of the game.
And the idea that no one should hold these faceless men to account was precisely the sort of undemocratic principle that got Steven Lowy into such trouble in the first place.
If Nikou wants to draw a line in the stand, he should start with a root and branch clean-out of the state federations who continue to obstruct the game’s progress at every turn.
But despite this week’s transition into a post-Lowy era, there’s a lingering perception that Nikou’s election as the new FFA chairman will simply yield more of the same results.
Perhaps that’s why former FFA employee Bonita Mersiades was allegedly labelled “an agitator” by one state federation president when she stood for the role of Independent Chair of the Women’s Council.
Mersiades herself predicted that her nomination would not be supported, and just like former Socceroo and current SBS analyst Craig Foster, she was denied the chance to serve the game by a bunch of anonymous electioneers.
For the sake of full disclosure, I should point out that I know Mersiades personally and occasionally contribute editorials to her Football Today website.
But I gain nothing – either personally or professionally – from highlighting the fact that football fans in Australia have every right to demand greater transparency from those in control of the game.
I can guarantee, however, that plenty of people in positions of authority don’t like it when you start posing even the simplest of questions.
I certainly hope Chris Nikou isn’t one of those people.
And you could say the same of the rest of the board – with Kelly Bayer Rosmarin and Crispin Murray now joined by Heather Reid, Joseph Carrozzi and a familiar face in Remo Nogarotto.
Fox Sports commentator Simon Hill wrote earlier in the week that he’d never even laid eyes on either Rosmarin or Murray before, so what chance does the average punter have of knowing a single thing about these key decision makers?
At least in Reid and Nogarotto, the board now has a couple of representatives who have some skin in the game.
That’s perhaps more than can be said of Carrozzi, who conspicuously resigned from the board of directors at AFL club Greater Western Sydney shortly before the results of the FFA election were made public.
Carrozzi attended Tuesday night’s Socceroos game against Lebanon with Deputy Leader of The Nationals, Senator Bridget McKenzie.
That’s all well and good if what the game needs is more suits with scarves enjoying a night out on behalf of football.
But actions speak louder than words, and while it’s a promising start that Carrozzi has engaged with fans on Twitter, most of us have had our fill of executives dining out while the game flounders.
Football belongs to all of us – not just an elected few.
That’s the first lesson the new FFA board should take heed of as they look to repair the fractures of a wasted couple of years.
oldpsyco
Guest
Perhaps the best thing they could do is to remove some of the barriers and get the #$@% out of the way, so that people at the grass roots level can run grass roots football without having to get the nod from their state body before even the most basic of decisions is taken. promotion and relegation rules vary year to year depending on the whim of the administrators. the number of teams in the competition varies year to year under those same conditions. yet clubs are told you need to plan better. How and for what? A future we have no say in!
Midfielder
Roar Guru
JB Yes the rewrite of history is amazing.... to think Lowy could have done anything other than what he did aside from at the edges beggars belief and is in total denial of what things were like. I have always maintained that Lowy should have left after his time was up... Steven Lowy was totally out of his skill set and totally lost everybody especially with his lack of communication ...
Josh
Guest
Mike, what’s the problem with the new Chair attending a national team game with the Federal Sports Minister? Surely it would be more concerning if they weren’t hobnobbing at an event like that, as it would suggest our sport has an even lower standing than we would have thought...
Redondo
Roar Rookie
And the comedian is Franz Kafka.
jbinnie
Guest
Waz - In reply to this article let me relate to you an incident that took place back in 1976, when a meeting was called by the then Queensland Soccer Federation to discuss the formation of a new "national" football competition. We all fronted up well aware that there was only going to be one club in the room that could afford the $50,000 entry fee,that being Hollandia football club, an organisation with income earning assets as well as owning their own complex at Richlands. The meeting was not 10 minutes old when Azzuri's delegates stood up and walked out of the meeting declaring loudly they were not interested in such a competition. Now this presented a huge problem to the QSF for they had it in their minds that they could have TWO NSL games being played at Perry Park during the season. A few administrators from other clubs were asked to stay behind and the instructions were clear,Brisbane had to have 2 teams to play in the NSL. The then president of the local Greek club Hellenic then asked if the rest of the first division clubs could attend a meeting to be held in the Greek club the following Tuesday. That meeting lasted until 2.30 am Wednesday morning but in the end the remaining 12 local clubs had agreed to fund another NSL team and permit the use of their better players if required. For obvious reasons the team was to be called Brisbane United. The proposal was taken to the QSF and a decision was promised within 10 days. The decision WAS forthcoming and surprise ,surprise, the 2 teams were announced as Hollandia and -----wait for it------Azzuri, no explanation or retractive statement from them. That is how football was being run in "state circles" in 1977,so as has been said before ,What's new???? Cheers jb.
jbinnie
Guest
Waz - You blame Frank Lowy for the state of the game today due to his non alignment with the Crawford report. Having lived through that period of time and much further back I find it incredible that a man of your obvious intelligence consider the "state of the game today" as not being better than it was in 2003. The Crawford report was a generalisation of what had been wrong with the game's administration,or governance, in 2003 and the previous years, so obviously contained recommendations that Lowy,in his wisdom, and from experience, chose not to implement in his "new dawn". Does it never strike you as strange that Lowy, a man of immense "presence" and influence in both Australian business and government circles, had his own opinion on what had to be done to "fix" our game after he had sensationaly been "thrashed" at the AGM ballot box when sitting for a Vice Presidency some 20 years previously,a factor that saw him walk away from the game. Was it the defeat that caused his demise or was it the way the defeat was engineered. Only Frank Lowy could answer that, but there are those who were present that could not believe the methods being used,during the meeting, to glean votes for other candidates. That's how open and blatant were the efforts of those who did not want Lowy in power. So we got another 20 years of what could only be described as "sliding mayhem". Waz, there have been mistakes made recently by the FFA board there is no doubt ,but those "mistakes" actually pale into insignificance when one peruses the tragedy of the aforesaid 20 years of football governance in this country. Cheers jb.
Fadida
Guest
Randomly moderate again. Is it the word "tr0lls", "Ed1tors" or "m0deration" that drew the ire of the b0ts running the site?
Fadida
Guest
It like going to a comedy show and getting heckled by the comedian Redondo! Mike must have a black book with your name in bold. BTW, how can anyone not agree that the new format is a shambles? It's hard to navigate, has no edit function and is apparently run by bots. There appears to some editing, given the sometimes random moderation, and yet no one responds to the many complaints about the format, and the presence of numerous AFL trolls
chris
Guest
its really strong stuff...its hallucinogenic
oldpsyco
Guest
Say what ????? world powerhouse what you smokin dude?
oldpsyco
Guest
Your comments about the State bodies is spot on. Until they are forced to become more democratic as well the job is only half done! We have far too many autocrats involved in our sport. We have the talent to drive the sport forward, sadly most are locked out of the process by dictatorial administrators determined to stay in power whatever the cost to the sport!
oldpsyco
Guest
Zelic could spend more time looking at her own contribution or lack thereof
oldpsyco
Guest
Foster pulled out of the elections, because it is easier to sit on the sidelines and sling garbage than it is to roll your sleeves up and contribute!
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Pretty much sums up proceedings then.
Nemesis
Guest
"Believe me, if we were as stable as AFL is, we wouldn’t care who’s in charge either either." Not true. Some people think ALeague clubs having a total of 31% voting control within the FFA is too much power. If you think people would be happy, if the ALeague clubs were given 100% control of the FFA, you clearly don't understand the football community.
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Spot on
RF
Roar Rookie
Agree on your points, Mike, but all we can do is let the new chairman and board have some time now. If CN gets expansion in for next season, that will be a good start. My pick is that it will happen. The big challenge is the A League TV rights next time up. I expect Fox to offer, at most, 2/3 of the the current monetary value. There is no way on earth that they will pay what they are paying now, given the ratings. So, short of a bidder like Optus appearing like a white knight, how the professional game survives after than is going to make all the issues now pale by comparison. This isn't a maybe. This will happen. The ratings do not even come close to justifying the current deal. Which is why I think expansion will go ahead for next season. It is, quite literally, the only move the board can make right now to potentially improve a commercially catastrophic context.
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Baz A lot of people would not agree with you . Constant rule changes, poor scrappy football, clubs folding at junior and amateur levels . Inability to forge an international game , clubs bleeding millions , francises like golf coast and Carlton in ruins ., 80 percent games blow outs diminishing Friday night ratings That’s what you call stable .
Redondo
Roar Rookie
Again, I have no idea what you are talking about.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
In the interests of adding a tiny bit of levity to proceedings, Squires' latest offering is quite funny. It shows a teary eyed Lowy Jnr, wiping a tear, saying: Oh gosh, I'm not much on speeches (see last three years), but it's so gratifying to leave you wallowing in the mess you've made. You're screwed, thank you, bye.