And the mask comes off to the surprise of no one. The destabilisation and bad press begins. Welcome to the Spagnolo show. Article from the SMH:
Former Parramatta Eels supremo Roy Spagnolo has been revealed as helping a bid to oust more than half the board of Parramatta Leagues Club, attempting to rally support from well-known friends and associates and figures from the club’s past.
Parramatta Leagues Club’s 65,000 members have been notified of an extraordinary general meeting that’s been set for November 19 after a challenge was mounted to the hierarchy of the $150 million gaming, entertainment and food venue.
A group called Make Parra Matter Again is aiming to depose four of the club’s seven directors after assembling the 200 signatures required to trigger an EGM.
Its frontman has been former pizza cafe owner Michael Barillaro, but an email seen by this masthead shows that Spagnolo, the property developer who controlled the club between 2009 and 2013, has been involved in the background.
Spagnolo, who was declared by the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority in 2015 not to be a fit and proper person to govern a registered club, appealed for support for the proposal in a note to more than 80 allies this month.
In the October 1 correspondence, Spagnolo asks them to sign a statement supporting the resolution to remove the four directors “as a matter of urgency”.
Among the recipients was Eddie Obeid jnr, the son of the jailed former Labor powerbroker from whom Eels players allegedly received off-the-books payments before the club was stripped of 12 competition points and fined $750,000 in 2016 for salary cap cheating.
Also emailed were former Eels clothing supplier Leba Zibara, who the NRL found was connected to undisclosed player payments, as well as corrupt ex-NSW minister Joe Tripodi.
Others on Spagnolo’s send list included Eels winger Eric Grothe snr and Mario Libertini, who served on Spagnolo’s Parramatta board and were also found unfit to be directors by ILGA, as well as former Soccer Australia president Tony Labbozzetta and former Club Marconi and Cronulla Sharks CEO Tony Zappia (who have not been previously involved at the club).
Spagnolo said on Monday he hadn’t initiated the move to topple directors at Parramatta but had put his weight behind it.
for those who don’t here is a brief snapshot: in 2016 an administrator was appointed by the NSW government to oversee the club after six dark years of scandal and factionalism that almost brought the Eels to its knees,” he said in a message to members last week.
“Since then, the management teams and boards of [Parramatta Leagues Club] and [Parramatta NRL club] have worked incredibly hard to move the clubs forward and ensure we don’t return to those damaging days.
“Unfortunately, this EGM proposal, driven by many associated with the factionalism of the past, threatens to do just that.”
Spagnolo said the group wanted to be inclusive, not divisive, and offered a reminder that the Eels had in 2009 reached the grand final, where they were beaten by a team, Melbourne Storm, that was later stripped of the title for breaking salary cap rules.
“[McElduff] wants to talk about the dark ages. We finished [third] last this year. What’s any different?” he said.
“What is factionalism? Factionalism is two different parties, with two different views, having a crack at elections. Anyone that dares put their hand up is a faction.
“I don’t see myself as a faction. I see myself as passionate for the club and wanting good for the club. I had nothing to do with the salary cap [scandal]. That happened after me. I don’t see that I did a bad job.”
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I'd suggest reading the article in full, but there's one quote from Spagnolo himself that says it all for me:
"I don’t see that I did a bad job."
And there it is, the man who the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority in 2015 declared not to be a fit and proper person to govern a registered club has looked in the mirror and learnt...nothing. He reckons he did a good job.
The government intervened shortly after. The club was found to be such a mess that Spagnolo was declared to be officially bad at his job, so bad that he was unfit to hold the position. The administrators were gobsmacked at the shabby state of affairs.
But in his own words...he reckons he didn't do a bad job.
There are definitely improvements still needed in both our Leagues Club and Football Club, but replacing any of the incumbents with Spagnolo would be like replacing any of our current players with old mate Trevor from the pub who reckons he used to be pretty good at touch footy in high school.
Sometimes change is a bad thing when change is going back to a director who has literally been found to be unfit/bad at the job. If anyone with a great resume stands up and wants to be counted, I think it's great to listen and hear them out.
But literally anyone but Spagnolo, a proven dud (according to the ILGA).
Wholeheartedly agree. Didn't we undergo a whole administration reconstruction by the NSW Government so stupid shit like this didn't happen again?
Really confused at why we're seeing this germ around our club again.
Yep, we were placed under Administration until we eventually passed a resolution to accept new structures and constitutions.
Roy has spent the last years putting court cases against the club to try and overturn the ban placed on him by the club.
This latest action really just looks like trouble making more than anything productive or with a real purpose.
Spaggs took the Eels who were grand finalists at the time, to finishing down the bottom for four consecutive years, and he thinks he didn't do a bad job.
Spagnolo had nothing to do with setting up that 2009 team. It was set up under Fitzy's administration. Under Spagnolo, Anderson was sacked and he brought in Stephen Kearney for 2-almost-3 straight spoons.
That decision alone should be why this man should never work in football again.
If that grub gets his hands on Parra again, members will turn away in droves. I personally don't want any association with him and his cronies whatsoever. I'd like to think however that the vast majority of members can see through this attempt to cash in on a successful PLC.
How's his friends list, it's like a who's who of supervillains! They say you can tell a lot about someone by the friends. But yeh, trust me ... I'm a good bloke he says!
Too true Gaz, it definitely looks like they'd have their meetings in an underground lair beneath a volcano Dr Evil style.
It's a worrying list of who's who we don't want anywhere near the running of the club.
If these grubs get in I won't be renewing my membership those days they were in were depressing.
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