The FFA continues to offer new questions and few answers in Alen Stajcic scandal

The controversy around the sacking of Matildas coach Alen Stajcic has made for macabre viewing, and shows few signs of resolution or answers.

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The controversy around the sacking of Matildas coach Alen Stajcic has made for macabre viewing, and shows few signs of resolution.

From the beginning FFA said there was no smoking gun, no big incident, behind their decision to cut him loose five months before the World Cup — and then the deputy chair invites a fresh round of speculation with innuendo-laden comments.

For different reasons the reputations of the FFA and Stajcic have taken a pounding this week, and the ramifications stretch into the distance — for his employment prospects, for the team he led’s chances at the World Cup, and for public confidence in the administration of football.

Stajcic’s dismissal remains bizarre and not fully explained. Photo by Matt King/Getty Images.

A key factor at play seems to be what is deemed appropriate conduct in managing and coaching an elite female team of athletes, and whether different rules need to apply to a men’s dressing room. Bruno Fornaroli lost his place at Melbourne City because his skinfold results were deemed unacceptable, and a player at a team in Sydney was told he would not play until his weight was down to a mandated level.

Several female commentators have noted the issues such a regimen can cause for young women, and Stajcic was emphatic in dictating players’ dietary needs, just as he was demanding in many areas.

But this is also an elite sporting environment, the sort where players speak of the “one percenters” — the areas that can give them minute but crucial advantages over opponents. Where does the balance lie between pushing players to the peak of their potential, and being seen as bullying?

Gallop has not handled the incident well. AAP Image/Jeremy Piper.

These are huge and seminal cultural questions the FFA must answer now as it sets about finding a new coach, and the problem is that there is a growing well of mistrust over the events of the past few days.

Some players are furious that a survey they believed would lead to an improved environment actually led to the coach being axed. One former player has had to defend herself against accusations of trying to engineer just that.

The new board has promised transparency and openness, and their first test so far has become mired in the mud. At this point, some form of externally led inquiry into the circumstances that led to Stajcic being fired may be the only way to lance this boil.

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Originally published as The FFA continues to offer new questions and few answers in Alen Stajcic scandal