FFA To Use Termination Of Alen Stajcic’s Contract As Case Study For Independent Review

Following the termination of Alen Stajcic’s coaching contract on a without cause basis, Football Federation Australia (FFA) has today announced that it is moving forward with an independent review of the process by which the national teams are managed, including the decision-making processes and the way in which items are reported to the FFA Board.

The decision by the board to terminate Stajcic’s contract six months out from the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup is not under review or subject to review,“However, the process raised questions for the Board on the manner in which conduct, performance and information are addressed by FFA as an organisation,” FFA Chairman, Chris Nikou, said.

The review will be carried out by a three-member Independent Panel to be chaired by Diane Smith-Gander AO, who is a professional non-executive director following a career in management consulting with McKinsey & Company and banking.

Diane played representative level basketball, chaired ASDA in the 1990s and served as Chair of Basketball Australia during the period the sport unified.

She recently served on the panel reviewing APRA’s capability – a Hayne Royal Commission recommendation.

The other panel members are Rod McGeoch AO and Liz Ellis AO.

The panel will undertake interviews with relevant FFA senior management and national team staff, as well as a review of documentation, information and correspondence.

The panel will compile a confidential report and provide findings and recommendations to the FFA Board by the end of October 2019.

The FFA Board will consider the report and, where appropriate, will share publicly a summary of the findings and next steps.

Key questions to be addressed include:

• Where does/should accountability sit for the conduct & performance of the national teams?
• By what processes are these accountabilities exercised, and are those processes clear, timely and effective?
• When issues are raised and/or identified, are the processes for investigating, addressing and escalating those matters clear and effective?
• What is the duty of care that FFA owes to the players and its employees?
• What processes give the Board comfort that Management recommendations are driven by full and frank disclosure of information and are not based on any personal bias or unsubstantiated claims?
• What processes are in place to ensure the confidentiality, privacy and protection of any players, employees or others in disclosing information to FFA management and/or the Board?
• Are the processes, policies and procedures used by the national teams department sufficient to monitor and ensure that the environment in which the national teams operate is professional and supportive and in accordance with FFA values?