Collingwood board fight: Jeff Browne takes aim at Mark Korda over salary cap debacle

Would-be Collingwood president Jeff Browne has taken aim at Mark Korda’s role in the Magpies’ salary cap fire sale, explaining why he thinks the club has lost its way.

Businessman Jeff Browne has reaffirmed his intention to take over as Collingwood president and taken direct aim at current club boss Mark Korda for his role in last year’s salary cap debacle.

Browne, 66, says he will be standing for election at the “earliest opportunity” — either at the club’s annual general meeting in December or if a spill of the board is forced by the members.

In an escalation of the drawn out Collingwood board stoush, Browne said it was “absurd” that Korda had been elevated into the Magpies’ presidency after last year’s humiliating trade period and fire sale of players.

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“It’s very clear that the Collingwood Football Club’s greatest challenge this season, and potentially for many seasons to come, is the salary cap blunders overseen by Mark Korda as chairman of the finance committee,” Browne told the Herald Sun.

“There needs to be an inextricable link and close working relationship between finance and list management. This has been clearly absent at Collingwood and it is absurd that the list manager (Ned Guy) should be let go, and the chairman of the finance committee elevated to chairman of the club.

“I have more experience working with and understanding the salary cap than anyone else on the Collingwood board. I was heavily involved in drafting those rules and know them intimately. Clearly that will be an advantage to assist the club to work its way out of its current dilemma.”

Collingwood president Mark Korda leaves the Holden Centre on the day Nathan Buckley announced he would no longer coach the club. Picture: David Crosling

Browne — the chairman of investment bank Moelis Australia, a former chairman of carsales.com, ex-managing director of Channel 9 and the AFL’s external lawyer for almost two decades — said he had the business credentials to drag the Magpies out of the mire.

“I have the skills gained as chairman of a major ASX-listed financial group and a listed Australian company operating one of the largest and most successful digital marketplaces in Australia and other parts of the world,” Browne said.

“My experience at Channel 9 has given me a unique insight into the importance of listening to our millions of viewers and fantastic sponsors, to ensure that we delivered the best possible experience we could, to reward their loyalty and grow our business.

“No one on the Collingwood Football Club board has that leadership experience and it shows in the lack of corporate governance and the mounting lack of confidence that is now trickling down, each week, through all elements of the club.

“Good leadership inspires confidence and both are sadly lacking at Collingwood at the moment.”

Rising star Jaidyn Stephenson was traded from Collingwood to the Kangaroos at the end of 2020 as part of a Magpies fire sale to clear salary cap space. Picture: Michael Klein

Browne rejected suggestions he was “lurking in the shadows” and accused the club of using delay tactics to avoid a democratic board election.

“Clearly, the current board wants to resist calls from members to have a vote on all seven positions and it seems the tactic is as long as you can play a dead bat on the issue somehow it will go away — but I don’t believe it will,” Browne said.

“I have said consistently that I would offer myself for election at the earliest opportunity.

“As it stands, there is an election for three positions at the annual general meeting of the club in December this year.

“It is not in the best interests of our club to get into a long, drawn out, public slanging match, nearly five months out from that election.

“However, if other members are successful in convening an EGM and obtaining the list of the eligible Collingwood voting members, ahead of the scheduled AGM in December, then that will obviously accelerate the time to communicate and campaign.

“I have spoken publicly three times in the past few months — once to announce that I would contest for a leadership position on the board, secondly to address ill-informed comments by a present director and thirdly, to point out seven serious mistakes made under the current board, to emphasise the impact of those mistakes and to put the case for all seven directors to own up and face election.

“I do not intend to step away from the task of seeking renewal and I do not intend to allow outside commentators to determine how the case for change at Collingwood should be managed. That will be determined by the wishes of the members.

“At the moment there is no election — and I’ve said that when there is an election I will stand and let the members decide.

“Collingwood is a great club and always will be, but what there is at the moment is a crisis of confidence and only renewed leadership can lead us out of that.

“And I’m ready to take on that challenge at the earliest opportunity.”