Paul Guerra has engaged his lawyers after he was sensationally dismissed from his role as Melbourne Football Club chief executive on Tuesday. Guerra, who was appointed only in September last year, exclusively told 7NEWS that he was mystified by the decision and that legal proceedings would follow.
Guerra Speaks Out
“It’s been a challenging day,” Guerra told 7NEWS. “I’m really puzzled by the board’s decisions. I’m really proud of the team that we’ve put together and I’m really proud of the role that I’ve played in the team’s success.” He expressed gratitude for the support he received, saying, “To everybody that sent messages and phoned today, and there’s been a lot, I really appreciate that. The matter’s now in the hands of my lawyers, so I can’t say much more than that for now.”
Club President Explains Sacking
Club president Steven Smith cited a “breakdown of relationships with the board” as the reason behind the decision. “There was a loss of confidence in his ability to lead the club and a breakdown of relationships with the board,” Smith told 7NEWS. “We’ve shown we can make hard decisions with Simon Goodwin’s departure and Stephen King’s appointment.” It is now expected Guerra will receive a six-month payout, but that may change if a legal battle ensues.
Concerns Before Appointment
Veteran AFL journalist Caroline Wilson revealed there were concerns about Guerra prior to his appointment, partly due to his lack of experience at club level. Wilson also disclosed that she had spoken to Smith about Guerra’s connection to a man described in the media as a “shadowy high-flyer”. Sy Giang Nguyen, a former Geelong Football Club sponsor and Crown VIP, was linked to Guerra through a horse-racing syndicate.
“There’s been a hunt for millions of dollars of funds embezzled from one of the nation’s biggest disability service providers. Giang Nguyen is at the heart of that,” Wilson said on The Agenda Setters. “It had led police to go to several high-profile horse-racing syndicates, and Paul Guerra was named as someone in that syndicate. This was of great concern to the Melbourne Football Club, and it also … raised eyebrows at AFL HQ. And when I asked Steven Smith whether Guerra’s dismissal had anything to do with that, he said, ‘I cannot comment on that.’”
7NEWS.com.au or The Agenda Setters is not suggesting Guerra has done anything untoward or that he has anything to do with any alleged fraud. “(But) people at Melbourne have asked him about this,” Wilson added.
Other Off-Field Issues
There have been other off-field issues in the headlines, including a proposed move to the Caulfield Racecourse hitting a stumbling block and the temporary move to Waverley Park being on the rocks. Controversy also surrounded the retirement of Steven May when football boss Alan Richardson revealed sensitive personal information in a Zoom call to the partners of players.
“There are many things that have gone wrong in this relationship. Tom Morris reported the botch meeting with players’ wives involving Steven May, which Steven Smith even said Paul Guerra should have taken over and not let Alan Richardson, the footy boss, take over,” Wilson said. “There is the Caulfield situation, which has been run by two club directors, one of them Steven Smith. And Paul Guerra has been sidelined on that negotiation. And then, of course, the dilly-dallying over Waverley.”
Wilson noted there had been “teething problems” between the CEO and the board, but “we didn’t know how bad the teething problems were”. “A year ago when we broke the story about Paul Guerra getting the job or being the frontrunner for the job, I spoke then about a curveball that emerged very early in the piece,” she said. That curveball was former Port Adelaide CEO Keith Thomas. It was thought that Thomas, after making social media comments regarding the Middle Eastern War, had made some people at Melbourne nervous about potentially offending stakeholders if he was offered the Demons job.
“My belief is that Steven Smith really liked Keith Thomas. I think the AFL liked Keith Thomas. In the end, the board went for Paul Guerra,” Wilson said. “I don’t think Paul Guerra and Steven Smith ever worked well together. They were different from the start. They were polar opposites, completely different, and I think Steven Smith realised — and don’t shoot the messenger here … — this was not someone who he wanted to be his CEO. A lot of CEOs come in not experienced to do the job, but (with Guerra) there was no club experience at all. We know he went for the job at Essendon, missed out there.”
