Simon Pearce of City Football Group is the most powerful figure in Australian soccer

The most powerful figure in Australian soccer now is an English-born former public relations and communications executive.

Melbourne City vice-chairman Simon Pearce.

The most powerful figure in Australian soccer now is an English-born former public relations and communications executive whose day job is to “protect and enhance the reputation” of the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi.

Simon Pearce, the vice-chairman of A-League club Melbourne City and a special adviser to the executive affairs authority running Abu Dhabi, has been instrumental in driving corporate governance changes behind the scenes that today will install four new directors to the Football Federation Australia board and bring an end to the 15-year reign of first Frank and then Steven Lowy.

Pearce’s influence has grown rapidly in Australian soccer. A member of the nominations committee charged with finding new FFA board members, he is also a board member of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and part of the City Football Group that includes Manchester and Melbourne City, New York City FC and Yokohama F Marinos.

Melbourne City have backed the nominations of two of the four likely candidates to fill the vacant FFA board roles, Chris Nikou and Remo Nogorotto, as revealed by The Australian on Friday, while Pearce is also understood to have been a strong advocate of another likely candidate in former Labor senator Stephen Conroy, a Melbourne City fan and ambassador. City have also backed the nomination of an emerging board contender in Linda Norquay, the chief financial officer of Lachlan Murdoch’s Illyria.

He is also said to have backed Judith Griggs, the author of a report for FIFA recommending governance changes in Australia, who subsequently nominated for the FFA board. But Griggs, a one-time Formula One executive, withdrew last week citing a lack of soccer experience and international business commitments.

Pearce has led the charge for an independent A-League modelled along the lines of the EPL, moving for governance change that is both in line with FIFA statutes and gave A-League clubs more voting power regarding the FFA board — which resulted in Steven Lowy resigning his role in August, a move that will be made official at today’s FFA annual meeting.

Lowy had argued in vain he stood in the way of the clubs getting more control at board level and therefore the purse strings of the sport, potentially starving national teams and junior development programs of funds.

Pearce had earlier helped carve out deals with the NSW and Victorian state federations to enact the governance change, also in concert with the Professional Players Association, run by former CFG employee John Didulica. Under Pearce’s leadership at Melbourne City, the club have won an FFA Cup and invested about $40 million in their Australian operations, recouping a major part of the funds via the sales of players like Aaron Mooy and Daniel Arzani via Manchester City.

CFG has become a global football powerhouse under chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak with Manchester City at the forefront of a billion-dollar spending revolution that has brought trophies, such as last season’s EPL, and fans around the world. Pearce has been a part of that success with his role in the recently published book on the rise of Manchester City and CFG, Killing the Game, described as “to protect and enhance the reputation of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the eyes of the world” as the head of strategic communications for the government there.

He has also recently been embroiled in allegations around English Premier League giants Manchester City, where he is a director, and allegations of circumventing financial regulations via the payment of sponsorships by companies connected to the club’s Abu Dhabi owner and the backdating of other financial agreements — both not allowed under European football’s financial fair play.

“We can do what we want,” was one damning quote attributed to Pearce in documents obtained by German publication Der Spiegel, and while Manchester City have said little publicly, they have stated the allegations are part of a “clear and organised” attempt to tarnish their reputation.

Pearce did not return calls from The Australian and other football identities were reluctant to talk about him on the record. One though did say “Simon is doing everything with the best interests of Australian football in mind” and another added: “He is just one part of a voting bloc and Melbourne Victory, Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC have increased their influence … while Simon has had to pull back due to the controversy in Europe.”

Born in London, the 47-year-old Pearce was a communication executive who ran the Sydney office of global PR firm Burson-Marsteller. He left Australia in 2006 for Abu Dhabi, where he became director of strategic affairs and later entered the football world when the Abu Dhabi Group for Development and Investment bought Manchester City in 2008.

Manchester City have gone on to become an outstanding success on the field in the decade under their majority Abu Dhabi ownership. Melbourne City, meanwhile, played before a home crowd of less than 7000 last weekend. But they have also found interesting ways to grow their business off the field, Pearce has ensured the club is winning the competition handsomely.