NZF president resigns in ongoing fallout from review
New Zealand Football president Deryck Shaw has resigned.
It’s the latest twist in the ongoing fallout from the NZF review, which was released last Wednesday.
The review contained explicit and implicit criticism of the board.
Shaw informed various stakeholders yesterday of his decision to step down. Phil Barry will be the interim president for at least the rest of this year.
Shaw had been under severe pressure in recent months, since the Football Ferns-Andreas Heraf scandal first came to light in June.
That pressure increased with the revelations and allegations surrounding former chief executive Andy Martin, even though much of that could not be detailed in Phillipa Muir’s review due to the NZF board signing a confidentiality agreement with Martin as part of the terms of his departure.
The revelation in the Herald in August that Martin and Heraf had been paid significant settlements also angered many football stakeholders.
Last week, Shaw maintained he wanted to remain at the helm of the board, to be part of the implementation of the changes recommended by the review.
But it’s believed the board has been split, with some feeling that Shaw’s position was untenable.
A further layer was added on Wednesday, when the Herald revealed board member Jon Ormond had resigned.
In a statement sent to the board, Ormond said that the details in the confidential element of the review meant that ongoing tenure on the board came down to a conscience vote.
“As is now a matter of public record, the recent NZF review also comprised a confidential briefing to the board about matters which fell within the purview of the review but which cannot be published by NZF or the reviewer due to legal constraints, including obligations of confidentiality,” he said.
“I formed the view that when read together with the published portion, that the position of the chair, and potentially the board itself, was untenable. The collective duty of a board has essentially made this a conscience vote. I respect those board members who prefer to act from the inside to effect change.”
Some other board members are said to be considering their positions.
Shaw has been president of NZF since 2015 and deserves credit for some of his achievements, especially the way he helped mend the relationship with Oceania Football.
But ultimately his inability to manage and oversee Martin, in what Muir referred to as a “hands off approach”, proved the pivotal factor.