Matildas, Football Australia toxic culture investigation expanded by Sports Integrity Australia
Whistleblowers can feel safe that anything they report will be heard confidentially as the investigation into the alleged cultural problems in Australian football is widened.
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The Matildas lightning rod moment into culture has prompted other sports to move towards signing up and reporting into Sport Integrity Australia’s National Integrity Framework.
This effectively ends sports investigating themselves.
The National Integrity Framework is designed, among a number of things, to safeguard children from child abuse, child grooming and sexual misconduct.
It can be revealed that as part of the framework, a set template procedure for historical complaints will be included.
On Friday, Football Australia and SIA confirmed that the independent investigation into the alleged cultural problems within elite levels of Australian football had been widened.
In a statement outlining the disciplinary framework that has been agreed to, it was revealed the SIA run inquiry will cover allegations including:
• Abuse;
• Bullying;
• Child abuse and child grooming;
• Endangering the safety of a child;
• Harassment, sexual misconduct, unlawful discrimination;
• Victimisation, and vilification.
As previously revealed by News Corp, which broke the story about Lisa De Vanna’s allegations about the abuse she suffered as a player, the SIA will hear and manage complaints that relate to national teams and leagues (including the men’s and women’s national teams, the A-League, W-League and the Y-League).
Subsequent reports have emerged from grassroots through to elite level of a toxic culture.
The window for people to file complaints will start on November 1 and run until January 31, 2022.
There is no indication yet when a final report will be revealed.
SIA chief executive David Sharpe urged anyone with information to come forward and have their voices heard.
He said whistleblowers could feel safe in the knowledge that anything they report will be heard confidentially and investigated after De Vanna went public after saying her grievances were ignored by football authorities.
“The media play a vital role in highlighting these issues so they can be addressed, but Sport Integrity Australia’s formal independent process to deal with these allegations must remain confidential to protect all parties involved,” Sharpe said.
“The wellbeing of everyone engaging in this process is our priority, and support mechanisms will play a vital role. All parties have the right to be heard through an independent and fair process, before judgment is passed by the public.”
FA has also urged everyone with any information to approach SIA, with chief executive James Johnson confirming the process will be completely independent and FA will abide and implement any recommendations that emerge from the inquiry.
“Organised Australian football has existed for over 100 years, and this is the first time our game has done this,” Johnson said.
“It’s a step which takes us into the future of sports governance, by establishing a new framework which exemplifies the way issues like abuse, bullying and harassment can and should be managed across all sporting codes.
“It was really important that we confronted the issue and took decisive action to put in place an entirely separate and independent process, given that the issues we’re talking about are inherently complex and deeply personal.”
With the SIA undertaking the complaint and review process, it will reduce the administrative burden on sports.
Prior to the Matildas, the SIA has worked with Gymnastics Australia and Hockey Australia to address cultural issues.
In a major escalation of the crackdown on sporting organisations accused of sweeping things under the carpet, the Federal government committed in excess of $10m to SIA in March.
LEWD PICTURES LINKED TO COACH SACKING
—Michael Cain
A Football NSW coach has been terminated from her job after allegedly sending explicit photos to an underage female player.
It is understood the matter was brought to the attention of Football NSW officials by a government department in late 2019, sparking an internal investigation.
The female coach stood down from her role with Football NSW and was immediately issued with an interim suspension at the time which prevented her from any involvement in the sport.
Football NSW chief executive Stuart Hodge has confirmed the incident was referred to police but no charges were laid.
Football Australia was also informed of the incident and the coach was sacked in 2020 following an internal investigation.
“Football NSW was made aware of a matter involving a Football NSW Institute coach and a player,” Hodge said.
“Upon being made aware of the matter, Football NSW promptly stood down the coach before launching an independent investigation.
“Following the outcome of the investigation, the coach’s employment was terminated by Football NSW.
“The relevant government agencies are aware of the matter.”
This latest revelation comes after Football Australia announced it would be fully cooperative to a probe by Sport Integrity Australia following serious allegations of abuse from Matildas’ legend Lisa De Vanna and other former players, that brought the issue to the public‘s attention.
The SIA independent investigation into the shocking allegations of longstanding behavioural problems in Australian football is expected to begin as early as this week, coinciding with the return home of the Matildas’ biggest stars for the upcoming series against Brazil.
The full details around the framework for the probe haven’t been publicly announced but the investigation will focus on four specific areas of misconduct: bullying, harassment, intimidation and discrimination.
It will look at all levels of the game, from grassroots to elite, both male and female, from historical to current complaints. The federal government-backed sporting watchdog will run the entire investigation independently of FA, but the sport’s officials will accept and implement SIA’s rulings and recommendations, including taking punitive action against anyone found to have misbehaved.
Bombshell: FA allegedly knew of abuse of minors, grooming claims
— Selina Steele
New information has emerged that Football Australia staff were allegedly aware of Matildas star Lisa De Vanna’s shocking claims that minors were the target of groomers well before the issue was exposed by News Corp.
News Corp can reveal Football Australia’s performance manager Paddy Steinfort contacted De Vanna’s mentor and manager Rose Garofano on August 2 this year to discuss comments from De Vanna for a proposed article which raised assault and grooming allegations.
Notes taken by Garofano at the time confirm Steinfort had raised with her De Vanna’s allegations of bullying, coach/player relationships being against the code of conduct and abuse of minors.
Steinfort, who joined Football Australia in July, said he had read some of De Vanna’s comments about her 2001 incident and that he wanted to look after the well being of athletes and talk to De Vanna.
News Corp has seen several emails and text messages that show Football Australia appearing to obstruct moves by De Vanna to meet with the board to discuss the poor culture of the Matildas.
On three occasions, Garofano accepted the board’s invitation to meet on September 8 to discuss these matters - on August 3, 20 and 22, only for Chairman Chris Nikou to cancel the meeting on August 25.
Ms Garofano said: “He (Steinfort) phoned to check and see if Lisa was OK. He had seen comments Lisa had made for a freelance article about an incident that happened in 2001.”
“The information had been sent to Football Australia for verification … and he then said he was tasked to improve conditions within the Matildas culture. He also said there was a reporting system and Lisa hadn’t used it.
“He then told me that one of the things they now do at the Olympics is to make sure younger players do not room with older players. They room on their own. Towards the end of our conversation he brought up that he’d heard about workplace bullying because of sexuality, coach-player relationships and the power imbalance.
“I asked some questions and then he said that wasn’t illegal but it was against the code of conduct. He then said he’d heard about abuse of minors and grooming. I told him Lisa had reported this twice.
“He wanted to speak to Lisa but Lisa wanted to go to the board directly.”
Earlier that day, Nikou had invited De Vanna to attend the next board meeting on September 8 to address cultural issues.
The next day, August 3 at 7.21pm, Garofano confirmed that Lisa would be able to attend the September 8 meeting and notified Nikou about the conversation she had with Steinfort.
Garofano said De Vanna had declined the invitation to chat with Steinfort as she wanted to speak to the board first.
On August 20 at 5.04pm, Nikou wrote: “ … the sole purpose of the meeting is to hear from Lisa on her experiences concerning national team culture of the Matilda’s”.
“Please confirm unequivocally by COB Wednesday 25 August 2021 that Lisa is willing to proceed on that basis.”
In her third confirmation of the meeting, on Sunday, August 22 at 12.22pm Garofano writes: “I have already confirmed Lisa’s attendance to speak to the FFA Board meeting on the 8th of September. I am not sure why your email has taken such a legal tone and it is necessary to reiterate the fact that Lisa will be speaking?”
“I am not at all happy with how you are now communicating and it appears through your language that you are taking a legal stance on what should be an opportunity for Lisa to share her concerns in a safe environment.
“It is noted that you are also now communicating through your work email which is identifiable as a legal firm and as such, I am taking this as a sign of your position.”
On August 25, at 11.03 Nikou replied: “I have previously used my work email in communications with you and is used simply as a matter of convenience. Any communications coming from me on football matters are authored by me as Chair of FA.
“ … I believe that my previous communications made it abundantly clear that the unique offer to meet was for the sole purpose of hearing from LDV on the issue of national team culture. It is unfortunate that a simple acknowledgment to that effect was not provided.
“Regrettably, the tone of your communications continue to be disrespectful.
“In the circumstances the proposed meeting at 9:30am on 8 September 2021 has been cancelled.”
At this point Nikou blocks emails from Garofano.
De Vanna then accepts a meeting with the Football Development Committee for September 20.
On Tuesday night, an FA spokesperson said: “As we said in our statement of 5 October, at no point was Football Australia aware of Lisa’s specific allegations around alleged incidents or issues, until they appeared in media reports.
“We have never said that we didn’t know about the general claims that Lisa raised.
We were first approached by a media outlet regarding general claims that Lisa had made to that media outlet.
“We made numerous attempts to substantiate what were otherwise general claims made to us at the time, and to get specific detail. This included requests from Football Australia staff to Lisa’s representatives to speak with Lisa directly, but she chose to speak to the Board. Therefore, we learned nothing more than what was in the media inquiry.
“In the meeting with Board members, Lisa raised some specifics about relationships that she viewed as being inappropriate. Those relationships were not related to Lisa, however, we did and continue to look into these matters.
“Again, no mention was made in the meeting with Board members of the specifics of her claims around the alleged incident in 2001. The first time Football Australia heard of those specific allegations was in the News Corp article.
“We encouraged Lisa on more than one occasion to bring any matters forward through Football Australia’s complaints process. She chose not to use those channels and we respect that decision.
“Because of this, and before the News Corp reports appeared, we started exploring alternative avenues which subsequently led to the agreement for an independent process via Sport Integrity Australia. The details of this process will be announced imminently and we will be referring the matters raised by Lisa and others to Sport Integrity Australia.”
Football Australia’s board meet Wednesday.
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