Matildas scandal deepens amid boardroom opposition to Alen Stajcic

It was an open secret among FFA management and Matildas staff that deposed coach Alen Stajcic has serious opposition at boardroom level.

Australian head coach Alen Stajcic during the AFC Women's Asian Cup Semi Final match between Australia and Thailand at the King Abdullah II Stadium in the Jordan city of Amman on April 17, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / JACK GUEZ

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Football Federation boss David Gallop admits he told sacked Matildas coach Alen Stajcic that FFA’s new board was “good for me but it’s not so good for you” — but insists it was “nothing more than a lighthearted remark”.

As the furore over Stajcic’s summary removal last Saturday continued unabated, The Daily Telegraph has established that it was an open secret among FFA management and Matildas staff that Stajcic had opposition at board level.

The row claimed another victim on Wednesday when the scout appointed to analyse Australia’s opponents at the World Cup, who previously had been the Matildas’ video analyst for two years, resigned claiming Stajcic was the victim of “an underlying agenda … outside the Matildas group”.

Gallop has been criticised for his handling of the scandal. AAP Image/Jeremy Piper.

Chris Bowling, now the Newcastle Jets goalkeeping coach, said “the atmosphere and culture within the group was first class” after working in the Matildas set up for two years.

The man who succeeded Bowling as Matildas’ video analyst, Nahuel Arrate, who resigned in protest at Stajcic’s exit, told The Daily Telegraph that he was not interviewed by FFA staff before the decision was made to remove the head coach.

FFA has said that interviews with support staff and players, as well as the two surveys of players — conducted first by FFA and the players’ union, and then by advocacy group Our Watch — had been used to make the decision to sack Stajcic on Saturday morning.

FFA declined to offer any further statement on Wednesday after deputy chair Heather Reid insisted she had not plotted to remove Stajcic, adding: “It’s a pity that there aren’t more parents and players prepared to speak up about some of his behaviour. If people knew the actual facts, they would be shocked.”

Reports on Wednesday also claimed that FIFA’s Technical Study Group had compiled tactical reports on Australia from the Asian Cup and Tournament of Nations last year which criticised the style of play and called the team “one-dimensional”.

Stajcic has been sacked mere months before the World Cup.

In fact it is the Asian Football Confederation’s own technical group that compiles reports on Asian tournaments, and their verdict on the Matildas from the Asian Cup was largely positive, noting the team’s ability to play out from the back and “Australia’s attacking potential was also hinged to physical presence and athletic condition, which made them difficult to contain”.

The report was written by a group of AFC experts headed by former Matilda and FFA board member Moya Dodd — who ironically was one of the drivers behind the appointment of Stajcic’s predecessor, Hesterine de Reus.

In a bizarre twist to the Stajcic saga, some Tweets to Reid from an anonymous account appeared to predict his demise on January 4 — claiming it would happen before the Cup of Nations tournament being held here next month.

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