Margin Call: Stephen Conroy in line to replace Steven Lowy as FFA chairman

Stephen Conroy could replace Steve Lowy as FFA chairman. Picture: Aaron Francis

It’s official: Labor heavyweight Stephen Conroy is in the race to replace Steven Lowy, of Westfield’s billions, as the chair of Football Federation Australia.

Margin Call can reveal Conroy, a Communications minister in the Rudd-Gillard governments, has been put forward as a candidate to join the board of the recently revolutionised sport’s peak administration body.

Although in a twist redolent of his Labor headkicking days, there is some scuttlebutt as to whether Conroy’s paperwork arrived before Thursday’s 5pm deadline.

Sounds like one for Football Federation Australia’s nomination committee to adjudicate when they meet, as early as this weekend.

All up, we’re told 15 candidates have nominated for the four available spots which will be voted on at the sport’s AGM on November 19.

The Melbourne-based former pollie was put forward by Canberra’s football federation Capital Football, which seems fitting.

Conroy was seconded by Melbourne Victory, the sport’s wealthiest club which is chaired by Anthony Di Pietro.

Interestingly, Victory also nominated Joseph Carrozzi, the Sydney-based managing partner at accountancy PwC, who has been spoken of as the strongest alternative to Conroy’s chairmanship.

Joseph Carrozzi. Picture: Toby Zerna

And Victory’s fingerprints don’t end there. They have also nominated Chris Nikou, a popular member of Lowy’s FFA board whose term expired last week.

As revealed in The Australian this morning, other candidates include current FFA board member Danny Moulis, former Soccer Australia chairman Remo Nogarotto, former Socceroo Craig Foster, former Capital Football boss Heather Reid and Judith Griggs, who chaired the review that informed the sport’s recent radical constitutional shake-up.

Margin Call can add another interesting name to the list of board candidates: Linda Norquay, the chief financial officer of Lachlan Murdoch’s private investment company Illyria and a mad fan of Sydney FC.

Murdoch is also the executive co-chair of News Corp (owner of this fine masthead), which owns the FFA’s main commercial partner Fox Sports.

Plenty there to keep things interesting in football’s life after the Lowys.