FFA calls EGM to end governance crisis
Oct 11, 2017 - 4:36 AM Football Federation Australia has called an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) in an attempt to end the impasse over the sport's governance and push through a new congress model.Intensifying the turmoil surrounding Australian soccer after reports of Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou's imminent departure, FFA has called the meeting for November 1 and claims it has enough support for its preferred 9-4-1-1 model.
A-League clubs have threatened legal action to stop what Adelaide United chairman Greg Griffin has described as an "abuse of power" from FFA.
But FFA chairman Steven Lowy responded on Wednesday in a letter to Griffin, defending the governing body's actions and accusing him of not fully understanding the reform process.
A-League clubs and Professional Footballers Australia oppose FFA's structure and want a 9-5-1-1 model - with an extra vote for the clubs - to ensure the nine state federations no longer have the majority power to decide who is elected onto FFA's board.
Griffin wrote on Sunday to FFA on behalf of the clubs, accusing the governing body of "contemptuous" behaviour and acting "in concert" with the state federations to retain the status quo.
"There is no polite way of describing this other than it being an attempt to perpetuate the existing gerrymander which has resulted in ... the existing board of FFA (maintaining) absolute control over who is to stay or be invited to join the board," Griffin wrote in the letter, obtained by AAP.
Griffin said the clubs would launch an injunction to stop the EGM happening, and claimed FFA was acting against the instructions of FIFA by pushing through a congress model that not all stakeholders agreed with.
FIFA has implied it will only accept a model agreed to by all three stakeholders - the states, clubs and players - having tried and failed to fix the stand-off by sending a delegation in August to oversee talks.
However, Lowy fired back on Wednesday, denying Griffin's claims that the state federations would vote as a bloc and saying they all had "independent minds".
A 75 per cent vote of FFA's membership - currently nine votes for the state federations and one for the clubs - is required to pass constitutional change and modify the congress.
Lowy said he was confident there would not only be enough support for the 9-4-1-1 model but said it would also satisfy FIFA and AFC's concerns.
"Any decision on the future membership composition of FFA is, as a matter of company law, a decision to be taken by the present members," Lowy wrote.
"If the proposed constitutional amendments are carried by the meeting, FFA will report to the FIFA committee, as will be the case, that FFA has responded constructively and in good faith to the committee's wishes."
A resolution must be struck by November 30 or FIFA will remove FFA's board and install a 'normalisation committee' to run Australian soccer.
Source: AAP
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