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Following last week's sacking of national women's football coach Alen Stajcic, and more claims of an environment where cultural issues were allegedly commonplace, the chairman of football's governing body has broken his silence and said the sacking was "the right decision".
- FFA boss Chris Nikou said the board was unanimous in agreeing to sack Alen Stajcic
- The Our Watch report was 'a factor' in the decision, but only one of a number of items looked at by the board
- The FFA has been 'swamped' with applications for the vacant coaching role
In the eight days since Stajcic was told he was no longer coach of the Matildas, the initial shock has given way to a chorus in both the mainstream media and on social media believing the coach was a "victim" of a group of women working behind the scenes to replace him with a woman.
Speaking on The Ticket on Sunday morning, FFA chairman Chris Nikou said the board was united in making the decision.
"I know there's a lot of opinions out there in the marketplace at the moment because in sports it's a very emotional space … football's probably the most emotive," he said.
"But at the end of the day we had a very detailed board discussion on the evidence before us.
"It was a unanimous decision … this was the right decision for this playing group at this point in time — both for now and the future."
It has been reported elsewhere that the coach himself was told he had been the target of a group of women who were angling to get rid of him since he was first appointed in 2014, although he has not yet commented publicly on the matter.
Mr Nikou was asked whether the board had given in to pressure from an "anti-Stajcic" lobby group of former players and others with a grudge.
"No, certainly not," he said.
"I've heard it, of course, but it's simply untrue.
"Unfortunately those sorts of rumours and innuendo are much more interesting than the plain, boring facts of the situation … we dealt with the issues as they were presented to us without any of those motives people have tried to put to us."
It is understood the most senior members of the coaching staff were called into FFA headquarters in the days before Stajcic was sacked after a number of reviews had been received exposing cultural problems within the team environment.
Mr Nikou was asked whether Stajcic had been offered an adequate opportunity to address the problems and potentially avoid the drastic action of terminating his employment.
"I think you'll appreciate that my hands are tied to a certain extent about what I can and can't say about what's occurred," he said.
He restated: "This was not a decision taken lightly."
"It was after due consideration in consultation with the management team based in part on surveys but based in part on other information before the board," he continued.
"I believe it was the right decision last week and it remains the right decision even now as we speak."
The fallout from the decision continues to affect several parties.
The coach believes his reputation has been "seriously and irreparably damaged".
Players are feeling added pressure as more questions are asked about the environment they have been part of, sources say.
There has even been a growing number of calls for football chief executive David Gallop to be sacked by those unhappy that the mandate of transparency promised by the new FFA board, elected in November, has not been delivered.
"It is still the mandate," Mr Nikou said.
"But unfortunately there are certain no-go zones that mean we can't delve into much greater detail than we have already."
Asked whether ultimate responsibility for the team environment should lie with the CEO and the board, rather than the Matildas coach, the chairman said: "No."
"I think the day-to-day culture of the elite playing group rests with the head of that environment," Mr Nikou said.
"Our job is to monitor those things and take corrective action where we think it's necessary — and that's what we've done.
"I'm comfortable that we've complied with our legal obligations in all of this and the decision was made on proper grounds."
The FFA made a decision to improve its gender equity and diversity programs in August last year.
Around that time it approached a not-for-profit group, Our Watch, to run one of their sports-specific programs as they had done, or were doing, with Netball Australia, the NRL and Rugby Australia.
The first report from Our Watch was delivered in the days before Stajcic was sacked but the FFA chairman said it was only one of several items that contributed to the decision.
"It's a factor. I can't tell you which director put what sort of weight on it … but as I said previously it was only one of a number of items that the board took on board," he said.
Despite the coach's sacking being a unanimous decision, one board member, Heather Reid, has been singled out in numerous media reports.
She has been mentioned several times as some sections of the media look for evidence to support Stajcic's fear that there were forces working against him.
Reid has denied being a part of any campaign to depose the coach so close to a FIFA World Cup campaign and could adequately be described as a "new powerbroker" herself.
"It's so far from the truth. I have no grudge against Alen Stajcic," Reid told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"To suggest that I have orchestrated his demise and that I've influenced the board members is an insult. Not to me, but the whole board."
Mr Nikou said he had known Reid for years.
"I've known Heather for many years and in that time she's always been very passionate about women's sport in general and the Matildas in particular," he told the ABC.
"In all my dealings with her over six, seven-plus years her only consideration has been the advancement of the Matildas and giving them the right environment.
"The important bit for us now is — as the Matildas themselves have come out and said — we're getting on with business."
The Matildas have a Four Nations Tournament scheduled from the end of February, followed by the FIFA World Cup beginning in June. First though, they need a new coach.
"We've been swamped by applications for this role, it remains a great role to be involved with — a wonderful playing squad, it's got a lot of upsides," Mr Nikou said.
"I think people in the football community can rest assured that the most qualified person — and the person best placed to take this group forward — will be appointed, whether that be male or female."
Topics: sport, soccer, nsw, australia, sydney-2000