Saturday, July 18, 2009
Egmond on their Faces
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote:
Whether the FFA or van Egmond himself have acted improperly over the AIS position is a difficult question. If Con Constantine's claims about the matter are true, then he certainly has a legitimate grievance...
Well, it seems that they were, and he did.
Van Egmond has come out of the affair looking a complete fool, but in my view the FFA have, at the very least, acted in bad faith. As an acquaintance pointed out to me today, the FFA supposedly audit the books of the clubs regularly; could they really have been unaware of the details of van Egmond's contract?
One has to question the judgement of Ben Buckley and his crew in the light of a number of recent blunders. It's pertinent, too, to consider the motives behind their desire to dragoon van Egmond into the national setup so quickly: could the influence of the "Dutch mafia" have been a deciding factor here? Pointless to ask that question, really, given that there is basically no-one to guard the guardians at the moment, so to speak.
I doubt that van Egmond's career is "in ruins" just yet, as that Newcastle Herald article suggests, but his judgement in off-field matters will not be trusted again for a long time, and his last-minute appeal to Con Constantine for help does not reflect well on him. He's an able coach, if not quite the superstar that some commentators have been building him into, and he should be able to find employment either here or overseas (perhaps in Asia) before too long.
But the FFA need to learn their lesson. The pizzazz of the 2018/2022 World Cup bid, and the "technical revolution", may have concentrated their minds on national team matters, but they cannot afford to treat clubs in such a cavalier manner if they want football to continue its growth in Australia.
One of the key Crawford reforms was to break the stranglehold of the NSL clubs on the decision-making process, and such a change was long overdue. But the pendulum shouldn't be allowed to swing too far the other way.
Whether the FFA or van Egmond himself have acted improperly over the AIS position is a difficult question. If Con Constantine's claims about the matter are true, then he certainly has a legitimate grievance...
Well, it seems that they were, and he did.
Van Egmond has come out of the affair looking a complete fool, but in my view the FFA have, at the very least, acted in bad faith. As an acquaintance pointed out to me today, the FFA supposedly audit the books of the clubs regularly; could they really have been unaware of the details of van Egmond's contract?
One has to question the judgement of Ben Buckley and his crew in the light of a number of recent blunders. It's pertinent, too, to consider the motives behind their desire to dragoon van Egmond into the national setup so quickly: could the influence of the "Dutch mafia" have been a deciding factor here? Pointless to ask that question, really, given that there is basically no-one to guard the guardians at the moment, so to speak.
I doubt that van Egmond's career is "in ruins" just yet, as that Newcastle Herald article suggests, but his judgement in off-field matters will not be trusted again for a long time, and his last-minute appeal to Con Constantine for help does not reflect well on him. He's an able coach, if not quite the superstar that some commentators have been building him into, and he should be able to find employment either here or overseas (perhaps in Asia) before too long.
But the FFA need to learn their lesson. The pizzazz of the 2018/2022 World Cup bid, and the "technical revolution", may have concentrated their minds on national team matters, but they cannot afford to treat clubs in such a cavalier manner if they want football to continue its growth in Australia.
One of the key Crawford reforms was to break the stranglehold of the NSL clubs on the decision-making process, and such a change was long overdue. But the pendulum shouldn't be allowed to swing too far the other way.
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'One of the key Crawford reforms was to break the stranglehold of the NSL clubs on the decision-making process, and such a change was long overdue. But the pendulum shouldn't be allowed to swing too far the other way.'
I hear what you are saying Mike. But if we are to compete with AFL we need - at least - centralised ticketing - like the AFL and USA MLS. Only then will we get professional promotion of the game and a better sharing of resources. However, having met a few FFA types I was staggered at their lag of knowledge/interest in the A-League. Even with so many ex-AFL types in there there are still too many focused on 'nice to haves' as opposed to the essential promotion of the A-League. The FFA needs to get professional.
I hear what you are saying Mike. But if we are to compete with AFL we need - at least - centralised ticketing - like the AFL and USA MLS. Only then will we get professional promotion of the game and a better sharing of resources. However, having met a few FFA types I was staggered at their lag of knowledge/interest in the A-League. Even with so many ex-AFL types in there there are still too many focused on 'nice to haves' as opposed to the essential promotion of the A-League. The FFA needs to get professional.
Even if not from audits did the FFA not see the press about GVE signing on for 4 years at Newcastle? Do they not have a general idea of what is going on at the clubs?
It would seem that GVE had no clear understanding of his employment status. Where is his agent/legal representative in this, including in drafting his Jets contract.
It would seem that GVE had no clear understanding of his employment status. Where is his agent/legal representative in this, including in drafting his Jets contract.
GVE and the FFA. Its pretty simple: GVE apparently requested discussions to be confidential. This was the trigger point for the FFA to ask 'Why?'. GVE would have said 'if Con finds out I will lose my job' ERGO - he is under contract.
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