7 December 2017
PRESS STATEMENT
APFCA statement regarding FIFA Associations Committee Decision.
-
FIFA has NOT identified the FFA Board and Administration as a stakeholder
-
APFCA welcomes the fact that it will be FIFA and the AFC that will define the terms of
reference of the Congress review working group
Sydney Australia: – The Australian Professional Football Clubs Association (APFCA) notes the FIFA Associations Committee decision communicated on the 6th of December 2017. Specifically that the Committee “eventually decided to”:
“Support the establishment of a Congress review working group provided that FIFA and AFC are fully involved in the process and that a clear roadmap ensuring a timely conclusion with the adoption of a more inclusive and representative membership model is established,
That “To this end, a FIFA/AFC mission will visit Sydney early next year with the following objectives:
-
To meet with the stakeholders (Member Federations, A—League clubs, PFA) and any other relevant interlocutors, such as the Association of Australian Football Clubs (AAFC), that have been established in the meantime.
-
Based on the feedback received, to define the terms of reference of the Congress review working group, which include its objective, composition, mandate and timeline.”
The APFCA notes that once again FIFA has NOT identified the FFA Board and Administration as a stakeholder in the matter of Congress Reform and welcomes the fact that it will be FIFA and the AFC that will define the terms of reference of the Congress review working group – including its objectives composition, mandate and the timely completion of its work.
The APFCA is also surprised and disappointed by the FFA Press statement issued today on this matter. Its misleading nature and disconnect from the information clearly communicated by the FIFA Deputy Secretary General in his correspondence, is indicative of the approach that the
FFA Board and Senior Management has exhibited consistently with regard to the Congress Reform matter.
Commenting on the Associations Committee Decision Greg Griffin, Chairman of APFCA said: “Whilst this process should have been completed in March of this year, we welcome FIFA and AFC’s promised definitive intervention in the process and their commitment to a timely resolution. Australia deserves a first-world congress aligned with the principles of representative democracy and recognizing the importance of gender equality.”
He added “The FFA Board needs to be accountable for their mishandling of this matter over the last 14 months and the way that our game has suffered as a result. It is now glaringly obvious to all that the Gerrymander present within the FFA Board must be ended and for the sake of the whole of the Australian football family a new democratic dynamic be installed so that the whole game can grow through a new era of collaboration among all stakeholders and an FFA Board without self-interest.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
The Australian Professional Football Clubs Association (APFCA) was founded in November 2016. The Association is made up of the ten Hyundai A-League clubs and is governed by legal constitution.
The specific purpose of the APFCA is to promote and advance the interests of the member A- League Clubs; to provide the forum for discussion between the FFA and the A-League Clubs; and to facilitate engagement between the A-League Clubs and other relevant bodies such as FIFA and the AFC.
The Association was created as a constructive and collaborative initiative that will benefit the ongoing work of members of the Australian football family to grow the game of football at all levels in Australia.
*********
