Havent seen any mention of the womens group yet 



"It's understood state member federations, A-League clubs, the PFA and representatives of @AAFClubs agreed that FIFA should put in place an independent chairman of the Congress Review Working Group, ensuring that role be held by someone with no affiliation to the FFA."

FFA chairman Steven Lowy further isolated from stakeholders after FIFA visit

You'd have to rip the clubs IP from the FFAs cold dead hands.

At least this is more interesting than the A-League

@ bigpoppa

“I am extremely curious as to why AAFC are being shown the same equality as all the current stakeholders” .... it’s not who they are but who they represent that’s doing it - they represent players and clubs.

The new order that’s being born out of all this that the FFA don’t like is:

- AAPFC and PFA to represent the professional game
- AAFC and an as yet to be constituted players group to represent the semi-professional game
- State Federations to represent grassroots football

Add in a few SIGS and that is your new Congress.

An FFA Administration body can then be appointed including elected board and hired administrators to do what they want. That’s called the FFA.

Its no so much they are doing something right, even though they probably are. They are just representing a large group of stakeholders and those stakeholders I believe would be happy with the job they are doing. As soon as they aren't they would be voted out or not longer represent those stakeholders. A concept that is totally lost on the FFA. 

The PFA can send a woman if they get included on the Review Committee if they like but they have a narrow role as a stakeholder.  They don't speak for the women's game.

The "women's thing" came up well before this all started firing up here.  FIFA's principles that I referred to were promulgated in 2014 and developed out of a quadrennial FIFA women's symposium that commenced in 1995.  Its not new at all, its just that FIFA has been giving it more emphasis recently and requiring more action from the MA's.  As far as the current dispute about congress numbers it was the PFA that brought in a women's rep when they wanted a rep for each gender and in discussions they were prepared to allow the rep for the women's game to be separate.

The congress numbers the FFA and the APFCA argued for were nonsense.  Neither satisfy FIFA's principle of representative democracy.  Each was arguing for a split that advanced them.

I am extremely curious as to why AAFC are being shown the same equality as all the current stakeholders.

AAFC must be doing something right you would think.

Probably so the FFA wouldn't interrupt them with some bullshit about being unique.

It's fantasy thinking but just imagine if FIFA/AFC is thinking about giving AAFC proposed competition D1 status and independence from FFA and the A-League clubs the option to join it if they want to break from FFA.

They should be banned.............they are not a stakeholder. 

Maybe it's the FFA with the agenda all along. DU DUN DAAAAAAA

Like I said. ALMOST.

FFA allocated 45 minutes for the refs, fans, women's new vote and AAFC.

FIFA said no and gave AAFC 2 hours without FFA presence.

Well they were asked to leave yesterday. I don't know the reason why but they had a good chat to the NPL clubs did FIFA. These crisis moments almost make up for the drama of no pro/rel.




ALMOST.

imagine if the FFA are banned from the working group. 

Both APFCA and the AAFC have provided very professional statements regarding why they should be on the board. The FFA released a statement about utter bullshit. Fuck off Lowy football isn't about your dipshit legacy.

best thing i have read on here in a long time

in the end i hope the AAFC has as much membership as the APFCA

@gyfox

Then PFA should be able to just send a women. APFCA as stated are trying to follow FIFAs initial suggestion.

The women's thing popped up after Lowy couldn't get his vote through.

FFA wanted 9 3 1.

@ AJF

You state that AAPFC have “no idea” when clearly if you read their submission they do have an idea. On each point they raise they are very specific.

The difference beteeeen registering the FFA as a “member organisation” or as a “corporate” are substantial. The fact the FFA structured under corporation law provides them with immunity from their members and stakeholders - FIFA are very clear on this point, football is to be organised by and for the benefit of players and their clubs ie “the members of the FFA”.

The administration and supervision of the game is to be performed by football associations who work for their stakeholders, not the other way around.

The FFA are fucked now, they will either change or be suspended from FIFA at which point their corporate contracts and participation agreements with the clubs become null and void (not to mention the massive Legal action the mega rich owners like CFG will bring just for fun) and the clubs will then organise themselves a new federation, join AFC, and off we go again .....

The only thing that can save the FFA is FIFA and some form of colusion. The probability of that happening is extremely low as it would set a precedent for the rest of the world. FIFA will not risk the rest of the world to save Lowy, the big European clubs are already restless and FIFA won’t want to sow the seeds of their revolution in Australia. FIFA will stick by their rules, the ffa are now way off side.

FIFA will not recognize the FFA under Australian Corporations Law. Its that simple. 

FIFA adopted 10 key development principles with regard to women's football.  This is a copy of #8.

"Football, and especially women's football, will benefit from the involvement of women on governing bodies and in management.  In principle, each Member Association should have women involved at all decision-making levels, including the Executive Committee."

I can't imagine with that being what FIFA wants that they would not have a woman on the Review Committee to ensure that the women's game is properly considered in whatever it is the Committee is given to do.

Interestingly the FFA have included FIFA's principles in their quite comprehensive Women's Football Development Guide.

https://www.ffa.com.au/sites/ffa/files/2017-10/Women%27s%20Football%20Development%20Guide.pdf

APFCA has no idea, but when you cant manage to get number to stay on during ACL matches why would you be surprised. 

Article 11 below and there is no mention of corporate structure requirements anywhere. More importantly, the definition in the statues clearly says it all, FFA is recognised as an association by FIFA and that's the only real criteria for FIFA. 

Definition:
Association: a football association recognised as such by FIFA. It is a member of FIFA, unless a different meaning is evident from the context

11 Admission
1. Any association which is responsible for organising and supervising football in all of its forms in its country may become a member association. Consequently, it is recommended that all member associations involve all relevant stakeholders in football in their own structure. Subject to par. 5 and par. 6 below, only one association shall be recognised as a member association in each country.
2.Membership is only permitted if an association is currently a member of a confederation. The Council may issue regulations with regard to the admission process.
3.Any association wishing to become a member association shall apply in writing to the FIFA general secretariat.
4.The association’s legally valid statutes shall be enclosed with the application for membership and shall contain the following mandatory provisions:
a) always to comply with the Statutes, regulations and decisions of FIFA and of the relevant confederation;
b) to comply with the Laws of the Game in force;
c) to recognise the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as specified in these Statutes.

Calm down Waz, I know you would love the FFA to collapse but if your seriously believe that FIFA didnt know of or approve FFA's corporate structure before the APFC meeting this week you are delirious. When Lowy shut down Soccer Australia he had to apply to FIFA to get the FFA recognized and admitted into FIFA so approval of all structures, statutes, laws, etc would have happened then.

Link to full article is below, but being a corporation was known to everyone and FFA is not only one as Griffith himself stated:

But in another charged letter to Lowy on Saturday, Griffin indicated the clubs would leave the legalities in the hands of FIFA.“Noting that the FFA is one of only a handful of FIFA Member Associations structured as a Corporation, part of our considerations is the apparent current focus of the FFA Board on the Australian Corporations Act over the obligations of the FFA as an Association Member of FIFA,” the letter read.

http://www.news.com.au/sport/football/aleague-clubs-will-not-sue-ffa-but-issue-warning-to-board-ahead-of-egm/news-story/f0e4ba6614a5834e97acf77e2c508770

It depends on what AFC FIFA. They can mandate a women vote but it doesn't mean that "onside" has to be part of the discussion group.

Likewise, they can mandate or suggest AAFC get a vote and at the same time not see it as relevant that they decide the makeup of the next congress.

Up til now they were wiling to accept a 9+1 outcome decision.

I would think that they would have an ice block in hells chance of getting the review committee make up they suggest.  Why leave the other stakeholders out of it?  For starters I expect that FIFA will demand the women's game be represented and also AAFC.

Have you read the Statutes or are you just taking them at their word?  How can you register as an association nationally?  There is state legislation for incorporating an association but I couldn't find similar in national legislation.  One of the association advisory bodies indicated it was normal to register under the corporations act if the association wanted to operate nationally and had high revenue.  It would be interesting to hear some legal opinion.

People need to remember AFC. 

CFG have strong links within AFC. There are also other Asian owners.

AFC and FIFA have a agreed provisionally to allow SEAsian teams into the A-League. One of which is KL, where AFC is located. 

Here is the article again
https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/exclusive-jon-smith-details-aleague-expansion-plan-into-south-east-asia-rejected-by-frank-lowy/news-story/2f291420d52b8799c2375d80778c7c1b

Sage even mentioned recently again that the Malaysian FA want a team in.

THE THEORY BEHIND THE IDEA

Besides the Philippines, Smith’s research found that audiences outside of Australia were “largely enthusiastic”.

“Without the Philippines, most of them, including Malaysia, that whole basin, had fanatical support for soccer. Them wanting to stuff (beat) an Aussie team every two to three weeks would’ve been a fillip for the audience.”

Smith noted that while the A-League was a “great product” in a “visibly important” football nation, he just couldn’t see the value in expanding to existing regions or regional centres to grow the competition.

“With slow, deliberate well calculated expansion, my guess is TV, social media will grow a new audience.

“At 16 teams it started becoming very lucrative. If you really want to be ambitious, you start looking at India, but that is burgeoning soccer at the moment, it’s huge. It’s the next one that’s going to break out.”

He said: “We looked at: could we logistically actually make it work. Could you put teams on the road for three weeks - Perth or Wellington, for example and logistically let them train, run up as far as Hong Kong, which is a journey, and come back again, while creating enough income, to feed, clothe, water a team and give it enough competitive edge.

“We came up with a plan, and boy, financially did it work, because these were regions where the television money could be sizable. There were parties, including BeIN, whose eyes were looking at the A-League.”

Given the growth of the MLS in America, the potential stakeholders felt an emerging league could be similarly successful. “A number of the owners of clubs and leagues throughout South East Asia could see a league, with Australian administration, would actually work even though its antitheses from having their own independence. They could still run their own league, but run this alongside.”


I think this is still the ultimate aim of APFCA.  The last quote is important also. In theory AAFC & FFA could run their own league, alongside. This is why it is possible and why people have been mentioning an Asian (ACL) spot of AAFC. Because it would be the same as India and there would be 2 d1 leagues in Australia. The A-League closed w/ os teams and the National NPL/Championship with pro rel. 

The FFA are not compliant with FIFA membership. They incorporated as a business not a members association - they’re f’ked ... they’re basically FIFAs plaything now. It’s game over.

FIFA did specifically name women iirc. They didnt state in which capcity though eg PFA women or APFCA W-League. FFA have got the ball and are running with the FFA community womens vote.

The APFCA document was a ball breaker very hard to argue with...

My fav bit was this...

i. That the FFA Board has effectively disqualified itself from participation in the CRWG.ii.

The CRWG should be made up of representatives of the originally FIFA identified stakeholders –

Member Federations, APFCA and the PFA – operating without the impediment of interference of the FFA Board and Executive.iii.

 We believe the ideal Membership or the CRWG is:

a) Three Member Federations
b) Two A-League Clubs
c) One PFA Representatived)

This would see a committee evenly balance between the Professional and Amateur games.

iv. Consultation with the AAFC, PRFA and Coaches Australia needs to be        incorporated within the process. This recognizes the importance of these nascent Special Interest Groups and also that there is already some representation overlap through Member Federation and FFA Standing Committees.

v. The CRWG should be chaired by an independent Chairperson of suitable legal and procedural expertise who would have a casting vote.vi.

The CRWG should be supported by FIFA and AFC legal resources, along with an Australian commercial legal service in order to ensure that relevant recommendations of the CRWG are captured with optimal constitutional draft amendments.

Day 1 Coaches, Fans groups, Womens reps, APFCA & PFA

Day 2, State Feds, 10 A-League clubs

Day 3 is for summary and decisions by FIFA and what is to be done next.