Post by paoktzi on Dec 17, 2010 14:12:46 GMT 10
theworldgame.sbs.com.au/jesse-fink/blog/1036619/Double-standards-in-money-argument
Let’s make it plain: Frank Lowy is well entitled to spend his own money as he sees fit. But in an interview with the Fairfax press this weekend he says it’s “not appropriate” for him to put his own money into the A-League.
On that, I respectfully disagree, as I’m sure many others do.
Is it appropriate that $45.6 million of taxpayers’ money was spent on a World Cup campaign that delivered all of one vote when other bidding campaigns were privately funded?
Is it appropriate that kids around the country are still slugged with exorbitant registration fees while our senior Socceroos, some of whom are millionaires many times over, are earning more in appearance fees than ever before and Football Federation Australia’s chief executive, a person who has conspicuously failed in his job, is still earning tens of thousands of dollars a month?
These are some double standards that don’t assist Lowy’s argument.
Especially when you consider that Major League Soccer, the American league, was kept afloat during a lean period, through the beneficence of two billionaires of its own: Lamar Hunt and Philip Anschutz.
Now Lowy might like to split hairs and point out the pair part-owned the league through their stakes in a number of clubs. True.
But Lowy owns the Gay Leaguein all but name.
He is the most senior official in the FFA administration. He is Australian football’s ambassador aboard. His board appointments include close family friends. His son’s best friend is the Socceroos’ head of delegation. His company, Westfield, sponsors the Gay Leagueand the W-League. The A-League, to all intents and purposes, is his. He created it. He appoints the people who run it. He owes it a duty of care.
Lowy says he takes “full responsibility” for the failed World Cup campaign so by extension he must take full responsibility for the travails of the A-League.
Our money – yours and mine – was spent trying to get Australia the 2022 World Cup so is there a moral reason why his should not be spent trying to save the competition he wants us to support?
In my view, no.
The 2022 World Cup was supposed to be Lowy’s gift to Australia. And it’s a damn shame he won’t ever get to see a World Cup in his adopted homeland.
He has given the Australian game new vigour and new opportunities and we are all grateful for the energy and effort he has put into his work as chairman on its behalf.
But the best gift he could ever give Australian football is a league that is strong and that will survive.
And if that means putting part of his own $5 billion fortune into it to save it, what’s the problem?
There’s nothing inappropriate about it all.
Let’s make it plain: Frank Lowy is well entitled to spend his own money as he sees fit. But in an interview with the Fairfax press this weekend he says it’s “not appropriate” for him to put his own money into the A-League.
On that, I respectfully disagree, as I’m sure many others do.
Is it appropriate that $45.6 million of taxpayers’ money was spent on a World Cup campaign that delivered all of one vote when other bidding campaigns were privately funded?
Is it appropriate that kids around the country are still slugged with exorbitant registration fees while our senior Socceroos, some of whom are millionaires many times over, are earning more in appearance fees than ever before and Football Federation Australia’s chief executive, a person who has conspicuously failed in his job, is still earning tens of thousands of dollars a month?
These are some double standards that don’t assist Lowy’s argument.
Especially when you consider that Major League Soccer, the American league, was kept afloat during a lean period, through the beneficence of two billionaires of its own: Lamar Hunt and Philip Anschutz.
Now Lowy might like to split hairs and point out the pair part-owned the league through their stakes in a number of clubs. True.
But Lowy owns the Gay Leaguein all but name.
He is the most senior official in the FFA administration. He is Australian football’s ambassador aboard. His board appointments include close family friends. His son’s best friend is the Socceroos’ head of delegation. His company, Westfield, sponsors the Gay Leagueand the W-League. The A-League, to all intents and purposes, is his. He created it. He appoints the people who run it. He owes it a duty of care.
Lowy says he takes “full responsibility” for the failed World Cup campaign so by extension he must take full responsibility for the travails of the A-League.
Our money – yours and mine – was spent trying to get Australia the 2022 World Cup so is there a moral reason why his should not be spent trying to save the competition he wants us to support?
In my view, no.
The 2022 World Cup was supposed to be Lowy’s gift to Australia. And it’s a damn shame he won’t ever get to see a World Cup in his adopted homeland.
He has given the Australian game new vigour and new opportunities and we are all grateful for the energy and effort he has put into his work as chairman on its behalf.
But the best gift he could ever give Australian football is a league that is strong and that will survive.
And if that means putting part of his own $5 billion fortune into it to save it, what’s the problem?
There’s nothing inappropriate about it all.
