https://footballtoday.news/features/thank-you

Does anyone know what BM accused them of?

There is literally a link in the first sentence of the article

Didn’t see the article in question but certainly is a big step to sue. Must have hit a raw nerve or two. 

Thank you.
Reading that question made me close my browser and walk away.

Probably of telling the truth. A lot of people in football just don't want to hear it.

The article made very serious allegations. 

Actual article below:  https://footballtoday.news/features/cost-of-playing-increases-in-queensland

Cost of playing increases in Queensland

Playing costs have increased in Queensland and many clubs and players are asking why and what for

24 January 2020 |  Bonita Mersiades
Writer, Author, Publisher, Activist, Whistleblower

If Queensland clubs and players hit with an increase in participation and registration fees for the 2020 season are wondering why – this might be the answer! First, the price hike Last year, a Queensland SAP player paid $85 in registration fees. This year, it has increased to $87.50. That might sound modest enough, but the entire increase is going to Football Queensland (FQ). To break it down, the total registration fee in 2020 of $87.50 is comprised of three components:

• FFA receives $14 per player
• FQ receives $35.50 for the competition/league fee, and
• FQ receives another $38.

It is the latter component – FQ’s ordinary share - that has gone up from 2019; from $35.50, an increase of 7%.By way of comparison, the Reserve Bank of Australia reported inflation in the September 2019 quarter (the most recent available data) as 1.7% nationally. For adult players, the price hike is even more. The FQ component of the 2019 fee for professional men and women has increased from $77.25 to $85.50, an increase of 10.7%, making the total fee for professional men and women $243.25. All of these fees exclude the individual club’s share.

With 70,273 registered players paying an average increase of $3.50 (averaged across all categories of players), that’s roughly an additional $250,000 in revenue for FQ.

In their 2018 financial statements, FQ reported revenue of $8.2 million, 50% of which came from participation and registration fees. They also hold cash reserves of $1.9 million.The increase in playing costs was advised to clubs soon after the release of FQ’s 2020-2022 Strategic Plan which also included targets of: 

• increasing total player numbers to 90,000
• increasing female player numbers to 22,500 
• increasing registered coach numbers to 8,820, and
• increasing referee numbers to 2,200.

Why the price hike is needed ...?
Around the same time, the FQ Board appointed a new CEO, Robert Cavallucci - not that Cavallucci was entirely new to any of them, as he had been a FQ Board Director from May last year. Cavallucci – a one-term Assistant Minister in the Newman state government - was extremely active in local Brisbane football from November 2016. Not only was he Chairman of the Brisbane City A-League expansion bid which withdrew its candidacy at an early stage, but he was also a director of Jade North’s Kickin with a Cuz, Football Brisbane, Brisbane City FC, an Advisory Board member of Brisbane Roar – and eventually, from May 2019, a Director of FQ. Four months after joining the FQ Board, it was Cavallucci who, along with FQ Chairman Ben Richardson, informed the former CEO, Richard Griffiths, that his services were no longer required. Two months after that, Cavallucci was CEO.

Richardson, a business owner with his own recruitment consulting company, then picked-up a two-month consulting gig to head the search for Griffiths' replacement. In a statement to the media on 18 November last year announcing Cavallucci’s appointment, Richardson said that the FQ Board had conducted “a rigorous and competitive recruitment process” – before turning to one of their own to fill the top job. Richardson received $44,000 for two months consulting work (in September/October) from FQ. The invoice was submitted and paid four days before Cavallucci’s appointment was announced. 

Cavallucci is on a salary package a little shy of $320,000 – a figure that is 89% (or $150,000) more than Griffiths was thought to be receiving. (Cavallucci is also on the Board of Phosphate International which has mining interests in Morocco and Mt Isa, and family property development company, Infinitec). Amongst FQ’s values in their Strategic Plan are transparency, accountability, and “no sweeping under the carpet”. This is referred to “the new normal for the way we work”. 

No doubt Richardson, the rest of his Board and Cavallucci will have no difficulty, therefore, in justifying Cavallucci’s transition from Board member to CEO, the almost-doubling of the CEO salary, and Richardson’s consulting fee of $44,000, to their members.

---

Judging by her statement there she is toast. 

this is telling "based on evidence in my possession. It drew no conclusion and made no allegations of wrong doing against either man."

Yeah, and this is Australia. Good luck mounting a defence on truth. Just look at Gatto before the court now. 

FFS, a crook sued because he said he was defamed because it said he was a bikie associate he won.The same guy was in the clink for 3 killings on behalf of bikies. 

What are the outlandish claims in that article?
Did he transition from board member to CEO?
Did the the salary double?
Did someone else earn a consultancy fee?

Yeah I'm struggling to see what the actual issue is.

and where do you stand regards this Waz ? matter of interest.

TBH IF the figures quoted are correct exposingthe registration increase's as listed the 2 FQ members quoted not surprised by their reactions, hope she wins imo.

Can’t really see anything defamatory there.

The problem for her of course is you have to mount a defence.  And these ambulance chasing parasitic lawyers can bankrupt you or at the very least cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

Even if it is resolved in your favour or they come to an agreement.

Which allegation do you consider the most serious Waz? She hasn’t alleged anything criminal or illegal. She’s actually stated that she expects they would have no trouble justifying it. 

Where do I stand? 

This. 

Are there any untruths in the article? 
If you've got a spare couple of $$$ and want to see accountability in our administrative bodies, head over to the "gofundme" page.  She'll need every bit of it.... https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bonita-m?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1&fbclid=IwAR2qEChxBRbMMdDRHXKSGDo9Oun46L9ErY1YYMIkJytYMHhmkgylrD0UoFA

I can't speak to the merits of the case and who is right, but it's a great thing that the independent organisation representing football supporters has thrown their weight behind BM and urging us to contribute to the gofundme campaign. 

https://twitter.com/fbsupporters/status/1285516721734823936

The transparency is heart warming.

Lol.   Always with an anti FFA narrative 

Yes, I don’t deny that. 

Meddling wherever she can in a self crusade, nothing more

Surely Football Qld is not funding this litigation to enable it's executives to gain an 800K windfall.  
 
https://www.jensweinreich.de/2020/07/30/how-an-out-of-touch-federation-is-trying-to-destroy-australian-sporting-hero-and-whistleblower-bonita-mersiades/?fbclid=IwAR17uhBHRcwDCyJkhAVRgZ0VLcA7JGR81_DmgfIaafDbLJEXL7q2DHOlsMg

Thank god that cavalluci never got close to the ceo gig at FFA. What a scum bag. 

Well, it’s an article that certainly doubles down on the original article and it should be an interesting court battle if it gets that far. 

The company is her own and I would hazard a guess that it isn't well funded - hence the gofundme that was started for her.  Calling her an "Australian Sporting Hero" is an interesting observation.  It would be interesting to know if the most recent article's author is known to BM. 

The most recent article raises the issue of funding the legal case against BM.  It is standard practice that an organisation/company would fund legal proceedings on behalf of its office holders if the organisation thought the office holders were defamed in relation to their role or the conduct of their duties with the organisation.  This of course does not apply if there is any wrong doing by the office holders.  Interesting times ahead.

Far out that article doesn't pull any punches.  Interesting that that the bloke in his claim said he didn't undertake 'consulting' work and yet there's an invoice and the audited accounts show the payment was made.

Also interesting is their lawyer's best known client is bloody Pauline Hanson who's known for spurious lawsuits.

Also this:  According to Queensland’s Orwellian defamation laws ‚there is no one test for determining whether something is defamatory.‘

Think I may have to throw a pineapple BM's way.

At no point has any one said that Bonita wrote something incorrect.
They appear to be wanting to argue that irrespective of the truth in what Bonita wrote, they don't like being presented to the public as scumbags.
This seems to be the gist of their claim against her.
And if the Queensland governing body is actually funding the legal costs of their two apparatchiks, for what will be personal financial windfalls for both of them (over and above the previous financial windfalls), well, you'd have to say that that is a disgrace.
This is actually worse than anything we ever saw under "old soccer".

On  your first point; actually they ARE saying that Bonita has said something wrong - that’s the whole basis of the legal action.