Post by paoktzi on Dec 17, 2010 10:20:15 GMT 10
WERE ALL FUCKED
College St set to swoop on beleaguered FNSW
Michael Cockerill
December 17, 2010
FOOTBALL Federation Australia is poised for a political takeover of the game's richest state federation, NSW, following a damning report into its corporate governance by an independent commission.
The 57-page report, obtained by the Herald, was handed to FNSW and the FFA eight days ago, and prompted the last-minute postponement of an annual general meeting scheduled for last weekend. Media pundit and former Socceroo Kimon Taliadoros had been primed to challenge FNSW president Jim Forrest for one of three vacancies on the board, but the postponement of the election until March gives the FFA time to push for a spill of all positions and effectively implement a clean slate.
While football politics at state level are not usually scrutinised at College Street, FFA chairman Frank Lowy is known to have taken a keen interest in developments at Parklea. FNSW is by far the most important state federation, but its relationship with head office has deteriorated since Forrest became president four years ago.
Nonetheless, FNSW is more important to the FFA than ever, with the state body holding assets worth an estimated $55 million. It is in the advanced stage of planning a new $70m headquarters at Riverstone West, and it turns over $20m a year thanks to its huge reservoir of registered players, now numbering almost 250,000.
There is little doubt the FFA sees FNSW as the jewel in the crown, and Lowy now has the trigger to implement a root-and-branch reform of FNSW after a commission of inquiry, headed by long-serving Botany mayor Ron Hoenig, gave a stinging summary of the conduct of several board members. It was Forrest who pushed for the commission of inquiry in January after his fellow directors had previously conducted their own internal inquiry into his actions in a minor boundary dispute between two local associations, Macarthur and Southern Districts. In a clear attempt to force Forrest from power, that internal inquiry had claimed he had interfered in the dispute, which involved a change of allegiance by Leppington Lions, in order to benefit a party (Macarthur) ''which had supported him politically''.
The internal inquiry was subsequently described as ''no more than a sham'' by Hoenig's three-man panel, but Forrest has not entirely escaped censure. After 11 months of investigation, which included five hearings, the commission of inquiry's report recommended last week that Forrest ''be removed as president and a director''.
The recommendations against other board members, both past and present, were more damning. The commission of inquiry recommended that former directors Michael Webber and Howard Bradley should not be eligible to stand for election for the next five years, and that Bradley's life membership be revoked. It also recommended that another former director, Rob Waddell, should not be eligible for election for the next three years.
The recommendation against a current director, Linda Ward, was that she be ineligible for election for the next three years. While no sanction was recommended against another, George Jackson, the commission of inquiry's report said consideration should be given as to whether his appointment was ''appropriate''. With the boardroom of the FNSW resembling a revolving door during the volatile inquiry process - former Socceroos goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac was among those to fill a casual vacancy last month - vice-president Robert Sestan was the only elected director praised by the inquiry's report for his behaviour and understanding of corporate governance.
Describing the board as ''dysfunctional'', it said: ''The best way forward is for FNSW to have a clean slate. It should retain … Sestan, who has been uninvolved in the behaviour of fellow directors, and an interim board should be selected of suitably qualified independent directors to conduct a complete review of the operations.''
The commission called on Lowy to select the interim directors, a task he is likely to take on with relish in order to finally get the FFA's most important stakeholder on board. Former NSW premier Morris Iemma is among those already approached.
www.smh.com.au/sport/football/college-st-set-to-swoop-on-beleaguered-fnsw-20101216-18zl4.html
College St set to swoop on beleaguered FNSW
Michael Cockerill
December 17, 2010
FOOTBALL Federation Australia is poised for a political takeover of the game's richest state federation, NSW, following a damning report into its corporate governance by an independent commission.
The 57-page report, obtained by the Herald, was handed to FNSW and the FFA eight days ago, and prompted the last-minute postponement of an annual general meeting scheduled for last weekend. Media pundit and former Socceroo Kimon Taliadoros had been primed to challenge FNSW president Jim Forrest for one of three vacancies on the board, but the postponement of the election until March gives the FFA time to push for a spill of all positions and effectively implement a clean slate.
While football politics at state level are not usually scrutinised at College Street, FFA chairman Frank Lowy is known to have taken a keen interest in developments at Parklea. FNSW is by far the most important state federation, but its relationship with head office has deteriorated since Forrest became president four years ago.
Nonetheless, FNSW is more important to the FFA than ever, with the state body holding assets worth an estimated $55 million. It is in the advanced stage of planning a new $70m headquarters at Riverstone West, and it turns over $20m a year thanks to its huge reservoir of registered players, now numbering almost 250,000.
There is little doubt the FFA sees FNSW as the jewel in the crown, and Lowy now has the trigger to implement a root-and-branch reform of FNSW after a commission of inquiry, headed by long-serving Botany mayor Ron Hoenig, gave a stinging summary of the conduct of several board members. It was Forrest who pushed for the commission of inquiry in January after his fellow directors had previously conducted their own internal inquiry into his actions in a minor boundary dispute between two local associations, Macarthur and Southern Districts. In a clear attempt to force Forrest from power, that internal inquiry had claimed he had interfered in the dispute, which involved a change of allegiance by Leppington Lions, in order to benefit a party (Macarthur) ''which had supported him politically''.
The internal inquiry was subsequently described as ''no more than a sham'' by Hoenig's three-man panel, but Forrest has not entirely escaped censure. After 11 months of investigation, which included five hearings, the commission of inquiry's report recommended last week that Forrest ''be removed as president and a director''.
The recommendations against other board members, both past and present, were more damning. The commission of inquiry recommended that former directors Michael Webber and Howard Bradley should not be eligible to stand for election for the next five years, and that Bradley's life membership be revoked. It also recommended that another former director, Rob Waddell, should not be eligible for election for the next three years.
The recommendation against a current director, Linda Ward, was that she be ineligible for election for the next three years. While no sanction was recommended against another, George Jackson, the commission of inquiry's report said consideration should be given as to whether his appointment was ''appropriate''. With the boardroom of the FNSW resembling a revolving door during the volatile inquiry process - former Socceroos goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac was among those to fill a casual vacancy last month - vice-president Robert Sestan was the only elected director praised by the inquiry's report for his behaviour and understanding of corporate governance.
Describing the board as ''dysfunctional'', it said: ''The best way forward is for FNSW to have a clean slate. It should retain … Sestan, who has been uninvolved in the behaviour of fellow directors, and an interim board should be selected of suitably qualified independent directors to conduct a complete review of the operations.''
The commission called on Lowy to select the interim directors, a task he is likely to take on with relish in order to finally get the FFA's most important stakeholder on board. Former NSW premier Morris Iemma is among those already approached.
www.smh.com.au/sport/football/college-st-set-to-swoop-on-beleaguered-fnsw-20101216-18zl4.html
