Andy Martin Has Resigned… Sorry, ‘Retired’… As NZ Football CEO
Today is a sad day for football in Aotearoa. Friday 29 June 2018, a day on which in a happier timeline we might be celebrating the All Whites getting knocked out of the World Cup in the group stages but instead we’re left to mourn the tragic retirement of Andy Martin, CEO and Personal Saviour of NZ Football.
Why have you forsaken us so, Andrew? Why must you leave now of all times, when your “strong leadership” was going to be so helpful in guiding us through the upcoming independent review into the Football Ferns environment after all the dramas caused by the coach that you hired. Twice. To do two conflicting jobs. Why, Sir Andy? WHAT ABOUT THE GOVERNANCE IN SPORT AWARD? WHAT ABOUT THE GROWTH IN PARTICIPATION? WHAT ABOUT THE NEW CBA, DAMMIT!?
But nah, instead “New Zealand Football has announced today that CEO Andy Martin is retiring”. In true Andy Martin/NZF fashion, not even a convenient departure on the eve of an investigation which is bound to dig up a few concerns about the governance he oversaw is immune from the fudge treatment. Ordinarily that gets annoying, the constant photoshopping of basic information, but on this occasion it was almost sentimental. The only way this resignation – sorry, ‘retirement’ – could have been more on the nose is if it turns out he sent it in by fax last week but the board only just received it today.
Of course, that wasn’t the only example of fudge treatment in the press release. Suggesting that Martin “says it is time to hang up his boots” is a particularly hilarious and vaguely tone-deaf metaphor to use given that some of his decisions have fairly directly affected the retirement of this nation’s finest female footballer not once but twice now. That humanising tactic was there in his quoted statement too…
Andy Martin: “It is time to focus on my wife and family and follow my beloved Liverpool FC more intently. I would like to thank the staff of New Zealand Football who worked tirelessly over the past four years to deliver some outstanding achievements, under sometimes trying circumstances. Football in New Zealand is in good health because of them and they remain undeterred to do a good job for the sport they love.”
Okay, time to be a stand-up comedian about all this. Trying circumstances? Sure, trying circumstances of NZF’s own making half the time. Congrats for getting your right foot out of the way of your left foot and learning how to walk without falling over. Undeterred to do a good job? Better bloody hope so or else that’s sabotage, surely. And as for supporting Liverpool… well, that explains a few things.
No but seriously, I’m glad he personalised all that because it’s always important to remember that we’re dealing with real people with real friends and whanau in these situations. Andy Martin is probably a very nice bloke, hard to say without having met him but that’s always the default assumption. The issues here are with his work performance and that’s a separate thing from Andy Martin the person who is entitled to live an enjoyable life and all that. Just, you know, considering the borderline universal cheers that have met this news, it seems like a thing worth saying.
Now let’s list some things that have happened under the last four years of Andy Martin’s Chief Executive Officer-ing:
Got disqualified from the Olympics because of a widespread eligibility scandal even though it would have been pretty simple to get dispensation for every one of them by asking FIFA nicely.
Made a big fuss about sending the lawyers in to fight the eligibility ruling despite it being really obvious that NZFs own sloppiness was to blame. Then only one person faced any real culpability.
Increase in player participation by more than 15000 people over the four years.
Helped guide NZ Football into a financially stable position, with cash reserves available. Which, let’s be honest, is no small feat in a country like Aotearoa.
Hired a fresh young (English) manager to coach the men’s national team, defended him at every opportunity and even helped him update his Wikipedia page, then celebrated him after he needed penalties to beat Papua New Guinea and qualify for the Confederations Cup where the All Whites lost every game, including a couple soft warmups, while scoring only once, then again after the All Whites lost 2-0 on aggregate to Peru and failed to qualify for the World Cup. That manager then immediately left to take up a job in the MLS.
Sparked some controversy when he told kiwi fans to give the Peruvians a hostile reception for the World Cup playoff and then packed a sad when the Peruvians did exactly that for New Zealanders in South America.
Expanded the women’s National League and introduced the Football Ferns Development Programme, which has already helped several players into professional contracts overseas. Granted both have weakened the club scene but that’s kinda a necessary sacrifice for the national team’s future success.
Left the office closed over a long weekend while the Wellington Phoenix were trying to secure an important transfer (Alex Jones) as the deadline loomed. Nobody answered the fax machine. The person who should have been the contact was out of internet range at the time. A technical error then ruined the last chance to get it through in time.
Brought a Football Ferns international to Wellington against a legitimate opposition where upon a record crowd turned up to watch them.
Hired a Football Ferns manager who was already the Technical Director, despite the obvious conflict of interest and misdistribution of power there, and then took several days to respond to inflammatory comments made by that same manager after his tactics sabotaged that Wellington international.
Didn’t organise a single home friendly game for the All Whites in four years.
Smiled and nodded as Anthony Hudson started off 2016 by ripping into the state and structures of football in New Zealand. Got much more defensive as Abby Erceg, a year later, retired from international football due to the poor circumstances that the Football Ferns were left to deal with.
Negotiated a new Collective Bargaining Agreement that provided equal image rights, payment and travel costs for the male and female national teams, believed to be a world’s first.
Included a provision in that CBA that withheld the right to fine players/staff up to $5000 for bringing NZF into disrepute with any negative public comments. A provision that discouraged at least one player from speaking on the record about concerns that they’d had about things.
Continually ignored, downplayed and shrugged off growing and repeated concerns about the ‘unprofessional environment’ in the Football Ferns squad under new manager Andreas Heraf. Abby Erceg retired for a second time and NZF made no acknowledgement of that for several weeks until they could bury it in the next squad announcement. No action was taken over her concerns or those of the FF team manager who also quit at the same time.
Finally acknowledged that situation when 13 players filed complaints through the PFA which included a threat never to play for the team again under the current manager. At which point an independent investigation was called for. Martin denied any prior knowledge of squad unrest.
Arranged for the men’s National League to receive televised coverage through Sky TV.
Arranged it at a cost to the already cash-strapped clubs and in such a way that Sky could hold that coverage at a ransom due to their paranoid fears about copyright and piracy (and also probably because they’re Sky Sports and it’s not rugby so it’s not a priority).
Overseen some furious staff turnover amidst concerns about the way that NZF was operating, including substantial concerns among the federations.
There’s heaps more too, but that’s the off-the-top-of-the-dome roundup. There’s some great stuff in there that deserves to be commended. There’s also some absolute disasters. It’s okay to acknowledge one without ignoring the other, business is a complicated… well, business.
The current thing with the Football Ferns began as a specific situation within a team and then evolved into a widespread issue that permeated the whole footy community in Aotearoa. However the Footy Ferns remain the biggest priority because that’s our national team in complete disarray right there. There’s no conceivable way that Andreas Heraf can be retained once the review process is through. Then begins the amends with those players, and not just the ones who wrote the letters.
But after that we’re likely to be without a Technical Director and we’re definitely without a CEO. Changes at the board level have at least proceeded all this so we know the ‘change programme’, to quote a corporate Martinism, is already in motion. Change is coming. Better days are ahead. Andy Martin oversaw some very positive things in his time as CEO but there were simply too many clangers in there as well which has left the kiwi footy-loving public disillusioned with the state of NZ Football. Martin didn’t necessarily have to go but he did have to change. The wording of his ‘retirement’ shows that he wasn’t prepared to… but that’s okay because his ‘retirement’ means that now he doesn’t have to. He’s already gone.
Now it’s time to take this financial stability and fix what’s gone wrong. Every crisis is an opportunity to improve. This independent review is probably going to shine a light on a lot of things. The timing of Andy Martin’s ‘retirement’ suggests he wasn’t so keen on being around for all that. It’s all part of the healing process.
What’s been really encouraging over the last month is that people are refusing to stand for the mishandling of football in our country. Not only that but it was our once and currently maligned women’s national team that’s been the catalyst. The governing body may not have taken them seriously but we, the people, certainly have. That right there is how we know our sport is safe.
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