OPINION: New Zealand Football has been perceived warily for most of its recent past by large chunks of the community it serves.
And when you look at the lack of respect the governing body showed to Des Buckingham as he was shuffled out the door at the end of April, it’s easy to understand why.
The decision to move on from Buckingham and have All Whites coach Danny Hay take the OlyWhites at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics in 2021 was understandable in the circumstances Covid-19 has thrust upon us, though obviously disappointing for those left out of a job.
What was inexcusable was how it was executed and presented to the playing group and the public by NZ Football, from chief executive Andrew Pragnell on down.
Once those in charge decided what they were going to do — which was the moment the Olympics were postponed to 2021, or so Pragnell says — they had a duty to ensure it was handled with as much grace as possible.
In its strategic plan for 2020 to 2026, unveiled at the end of January, NZ Football declared that “strong values drive the football experience”: Ambition, collaboration, enjoyment, inclusivity, and respect.
Ambition was certainly on display here. When Pragnell talks about the “strategic opportunity” his organisation now has, he means having the All Whites’ 2022 World Cup qualifiers double as buildup for the Olympics and having the Olympics double as preparation for the intercontinental playoff that looms as the final step on the road to that World Cup in Qatar. Those synergies should boost their chances of qualifying and bringing home a much-needed financial windfall.
Inclusivity wasn’t a major factor, but there was no collaboration. It is understood Buckingham was eager and willing to see what he could do in order to stay on, but that went nowhere. It is also understood his ultimate fate was not made crystal clear as quickly as Pragnell has suggested. Buckingham didn’t address the events of the past few weeks in his parting statement and isn’t giving interviews.
For someone who went to great lengths to top up NZ Football’s meagre national age-group team budgets from his own pockets; who flew back early from holiday when former coach Fritz Schmid was on his way out last June; then led the under-23s to a gold medal at the Pacific Games, where they had to overcome inhospitable conditions, on field and off, that would have made many coaches baulk, that was a final touch of class.
This has certainly sucked the enjoyment out of football for some — Buckingham and his staff; those in the playing group that had grown fond of them (and were perhaps behind the unsigned letter, said to have the support of 24 players, that was delivered to NZ Football asking for them to be retained); and those in the wider football community who enjoyed watching what they had produced.
Ultimately, that all contributes to a lack of respect. There was little shown during the five weeks between the postponement of the Olympics and the announcement of Buckingham’s exit on April 30 and next-to-none shown when it came to the manner of the announcement itself.
NZ Football framed its messaging around what was happening (Hay taking charge of the team) rather than what wasn’t (Buckingham staying in charge despite the postponement of the Olympics), which is a typical approach, but one that grates. In its announcement, there was no mention of what Buckingham and co had achieved in their time with the organisation, just an unattributed thank you, and a rote statement of empathy from Pragnell.
More generous efforts came from Pragnell — and Hay — when they spoke the following day, but by then the tone had been set. The playing pool was informed ahead of the public announcement in a letter that spent more time on the history of the Olympics than Buckingham and what he’d built. There was no message from the departing coach included, though he is believed to have been in touch with players since. He will have no doubt taken an interest in how the decision might have affected them and sought to reassure them, something the letter made no attempt at.
So where does this leave NZ Football, at a time when Covid-19 means its leadership is needed more than ever? On notice, one would hope, that it needs to do better when it comes to carrying out the decisions it makes and communicating them, both to those affected directly and those who are merely interested because they have skin in the game. This is not a new problem, by any stretch, but it was one that was supposed to have left when Andy Martin did in 2018.
Pragnell is coming towards the end of his first year in charge on a permanent basis, and has spent most of that year putting his management structure and team in place, so it’s still early days, to an extent, but the bumbling effort here, combined with the impact of Covid-19, means the honeymoon is over. Old perceptions die hard and NZ Football still has work to do to change them.
There remains a question mark over Football Ferns coach Tom Sermanni, whose contract is up at the end of August, like Buckingham’s was. It is expected NZ Football will wait for the decision on hosting rights for the 2023 Women’s World Cup before making any decisions there and Sermanni is believed to be fine with that. Like Buckingham, he has been a popular figure during his time in the role, so there will be plenty of interest in the outcome.
Then comes the Football in New Zealand Review. If handled correctly, it is a chance for the game to address the challenges it faces, at a time when Covid-19 is both accelerating the need for change and making some of those who might have been resistant to it more amiable.
It is a genuine opportunity to arrive at a consensus on those topics that are regularly the subject of debate, whether over a beer in the clubrooms or in various online forums, including whose job it is to develop players, what our national men’s and women’s leagues should look like, where limited financial resources available would best be spent, and many more.
For that to happen, the review will have to be conducted in a way that engages with those at the grassroots — the people who are keeping clubs alive and who are out there putting the work in from week to week — and treats them and their views with respect.
What’s worrying now is that those members of the football community have been given a good reason to look at the governing body, scratch their collective heads, and wonder what it’s done to deserve any lately.
