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Sacked Matildas coach Alen Stajcic says he has considered legal action as confusion continues to reign over his shock sacking on January 19, saying his career lies "in tatters" and his "reputation has been ruined".
Key points:
- Alen Stajcic was sacked as Matildas coach after confidential surveys highlighted "player welfare" issues.
- Stajcic says he is still "in the dark" as to why the FFA decided to sack him
- The 45-year-old is considering legal action
In an emotional press conference in Sydney and accompanying statement, Stajcic broke his silence for the first time, saying he is considering legal action against the Football Federation Australia (FFA) and for a full, independent enquiry to take place.
"I've come here today to clear my name and restore my reputation," Stajic said.
"I believe it's been damaged, as I referred to in the statement, and unjustifiably, as I said in the statement, and I'm here to repair what I can of my reputation after having spent 20 years coaching the game."
Stajcic was removed from his position in January on the basis of two confidential surveys, as well as conversations with players and staff.
The surveys — one run by players association the PFA, and the other by organisation Our Watch — highlighted "workplace" and "player welfare" issues.
However, in the statement Stajcic denied these claims, saying that he remains "in the dark about exactly how the FFA arrived at the decision to terminate my employment."
"I state categorically that, during my time as Matildas head coach, I never witnessed, never participated in, and never acquiesced to the participation of others in any impropriety or misconduct relating to players or the Matildas set-up," Stajcic said.
"The explanations proffered by FFA for my dismissal were; termination without cause; that no actions or behaviours of misconduct could be attributed to me; the FFA's CEO's assertion that the Matildas had a 'poor culture'.
"I wish to make it abundantly clear that during my time as Matildas coach, over nearly five years, I was not made aware, by Mr Gallop, of the existence of, or the occurrence of, any serious issues concerning the Matildas set-up.
"In fact, up until the day before the FFA terminated my employment, I had only ever received praise from Mr Gallop both publicly and privately."
When announcing the termination of Stajcic's employment, FFA boss David Gallop said that the FFA board, "no longer have confidence that Alen is the right person to lead the team and staff," after the enviroment within the squad was described as "unsatisfactory".
Stajcic said that the first time he was made aware of the claims of poor culture was the day before he was sacked in a meeting that lasted "approximately 20 minutes," and that he was offered no information about the contents of the surveys.
Stajcic, who was appointed in 2014 and lead the Matildas to a high of fourth in the world, suggested the PFA report was "materially and hopelessly flawed in its design and delivery," and questioned who was able to fill out the survey.
He also said that the FFA had not made the other surveys or interviews available to him, despite repeated requests.
The claims over concerns as to who was able to fill out the survey appear to have merit, after several social media users posted links showing them filling in the confidential survey over the weekend.
'My career is in tatters'
Stajcic detailed how the accusations have taken a toll on the 45-year-old and his family, saying the constant speculation has forced him to speak publicly for the first time.
"This has taken a huge personal toll on my family," Stajcic said.
"My career is in tatters and my reputation has been ruined."
Stajcic also pointed the finger at members of the FFA board for "adding fuel to this firestorm of speculation," over the reasons for his sacking.
"My family must now live out this daily drama in the public eye. Reading reports quoting an FFA board director, again without any specifics or understanding of the work we had been doing, has been extraordinarily hurtful.
"Statements that were leaked by this particular board director, which included 'that he would never work in football again', have caused irreparable damage. The emotional and mental toll that the past fortnight has taken on me, and my family, cannot be described in words."
"Both my kids have had to go to school, read the firestorm and innuendo — due to the lack of transparency that was offered, due to the nature of the comments both public and private that were offered by the board directors, more than one, and that has just added to the speculation that has been around over the last couple of weeks.
"As a father and as a person who is highly engaged in my community, that has certainly been the toughest part to take."
Stajcic also said that he is considering legal action in relation to the above statements as well as the nature of his sacking.
"I consider the actions of the FFA to be without foundation and unjustifiable — and the alleged actions of the FFA board member have smeared my name, not only as an international coach, but as a father and as a person.
"I have taken legal advice about these matters, which includes potential action on defamation and the breach of contractual obligations by the FFA."
'Like a family'
Stajcic said that "the majority" of the players have reached out to him privately since his sacking, and that their comments helped support his view that his sacking was unreasonable.
"Our former captain, who is still in our team, Claire Polkinghorne, said publicly a few days ago that she had not experienced any bullying, fat shaming or toxic environment," Stajcic said.
"Claire is probably the most respected player in our team, so if she can come out and say an answer like that, I think that's pretty reflective of what the whole team thinks."
Stajcic went on to emphasise the lengths he went to during his time as coach to create a positive environment.
"On tours, the Matildas are like a family."
"During my tenure we instilled belief, camaraderie and a desire for every person to push themselves even further in the pursuit of excellence.
"All of us, staff and players, strived daily to overcome any issues — on or off the field — to ensure we could be the best we could possibly be: as people, first and foremost, and then as footballers representing our families, our sport and our country.
"I have always tried my hardest to provide genuine care for all the players within my teams and have constantly battled with administrators to improve conditions for all in our environment.
"We all dreamed Australia could become World Champions this year and, beyond that, I wanted to play my part in unlocking the potential of the sport in our country."
Topics: sport, soccer, australia, nsw, sydney-2000
First posted