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Carlton president Mark LoGiudice, board slammed by high-profile member Tom Elliott
UPDATE: HIGH-PROFILE Carlton agitator Tom Elliott has attacked the club’s “invisible” president for ruling with absolute power. But Mark LoGiudice says he doesn’t know what the “rant” was all about.
CARLTON president Mark LoGiudice has waved away a “rant” from high-profile Carlton agitator Tom Elliott after he attacked the club’s “invisible” president Mark LoGiudice for ruling with absolute power.
Afternoon radio presenter Elliott, son of former Blues president John, launched a stunning tirade at the club’s figurehead, amid a horror season that has produced one win in 16 games. LIST MANAGER: SILVAGNI ON BLUES’ REBUILD BLUES BOSS: THE COACH IS SAFE TAKE OUR FOOTY FANS SURVEY FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN GRAND FINAL TICKETS BUCKS: STARTING POSITIONS ‘BLIGHT’ ON THE GAME DEW-M AND GLOOM: COACH’S LAMENT OVER LYNCH “Right now I am bloody angry at the board of the Carlton Football Club,” Elliott said on his 3AW Drive program. “Mr LoGiudice — and I have met him before but I’m not close with him — he has been the invisible president this year. “We have tried many times … to get him on various different programs and he is always unavailable. “He is unavailable, in my view to supporters. Very rarely will you see him go out and address the ordinary people, the 50,000 paid up members of Carlton. “He does not like explaining things to members. He does not want to give members a choice. He certainly does not want to give members a vote. Instead, he rules by decree.” Elliott’s spray followed the Blues yesterday appointing two new board members — Our Watch chief executive Patty Kinnersly and Egon Zehnder partner David Campbell — to replace departing members Australian sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins and Spotlight Group executive deputy chairman Zac Fried. Elliott, whose father was the club’s longest-serving president (1983-2002), was fuming at the club’s decision to notify members of the two appointments via email, without allowing a vote at season’s end. LoGiudice took to the airwaves for the third time in the day to respond to Elliott, saying the commentator needed to get his facts straight. “Tom is uninformed of the process directors have to go through to be appointed,” LoGiudice told 3AW. The president said his club’s process in appointing board members was laid out in its constitution, with an independent nominations committee also needing to tick off submissions. “I am not sure what the rant was all about,” LoGiudice said. Earlier, Elliott had taken aim at the process. “The Carlton Football Club has, in its wisdom, decided to appoint these two new directors of the club,” Elliott said. “In footy clubs, the members control the club, the club does not control the members. “What has happened at Carlton is it has gone from a club where people voted on issues, voted to put directors on the board, to (now) an autocratic fiefdom. “It is a club run by solely by Mark LoGiudice these days and he is appointing people to the board who will answer only to him. “This board is not doing a good job. Mark LoGiudice is not doing a good job when it comes to corporate governance. “And as a member, I reckon I speak for thousands of other Carlton members when I say let us have a vote over who runs our club.” LoGiudice had been criticised for being “invisible” as his club continues to struggle on the field but on Wednesday did the rounds on radio. He admitted the Blues had bottomed out, but encouraged supporters to go to the footy and “pick three or four” players to follow to get a glimpse of what the club’s future can be. LoGiudice says the Blues have “a great list” but blamed injuries and a void of players aged 22-27 for the club’s dire 1-15 record. “The players in that 18-21 year-old bracket — who have … suffered some injuries and are inexperienced footballers in a very competitive afl environment — they haven’t had the opportunity and nor has our coaching panel had the opportunity to have a full team on the park,” LoGiudice said on SEN’s Whateley. “The important thing is that as Carlton supporters and members — I go to the footy and pick three or four footballers every week and I watch them and I follow them on the field and I think that is the best way to look at what the future of the Carlton Football Club is going to be.” Watch every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. SIGN UP NOW >
Originally published as Carlton president Mark LoGiudice, board slammed by high-profile member Tom Elliott