Macek spearheads takeover bid
By Jake Niall
realfooty.theage.com.au
September 8, 2004
The forces opposing Richmond president Clinton Casey have made their boldest move yet, installing corporate heavyweight and former Richmond director Charles Macek as their presidential candidate in place of his running mate Brendan Schwab.
Schwab's group, believing that Macek's corporate and business connections make him a more electable president than Schwab, yesterday confirmed that its seven-strong ticket had expanded to nine, while placing Macek at the head of the ticket.
Macek, a former director under the previous Leon Daphne administration, had been in discussions with Schwab for some time and has been a trenchant critic of the Casey board.
When Casey came to power, one of his first acts was to request that Macek step aside. Macek had expressed a desire to be president then.
Macek said yesterday that once he had been persuaded to join the challenge, the rest of the group, including Schwab, felt he had the best credentials to be the prospective president.
Macek, who is on the board of Telstra and Wesfarmers, is a friend of the AFL's senior commissioner, Colin Carter, also a Wesfarmers director, and the Schwab camp believed his corporate connections would make the club more marketable to members and sponsors. Macek's record suggests he takes a hardline on corporate governance and on a separation between the board and the executive.
He said the challengers wanted the entire board replaced by their group of nine, which, following Macek's addition, has four people who have served as club directors in the past - Macek, Schwab, former football director Peter Welsh and liquidation specialist Mike Humphris. The ticket also includes a woman, lawyer Sharon Hall, and former premiership player Bryan Wood.
Casey and the board met last night and heard a presentation from the club's new chief executive, Steve Wright, on the club's financial position. But the Macek-Schwab challenge, which, if successful, would result in a complete cleanout of the current board, was not discussed in detail. Casey is about to head overseas for more than a month.
As of earlier this week, Casey had indicated his wish to continue as president. At least one director, Rob Turner, was believed to be considering his position.
The group of nine challengers yesterday repeated the claim that Casey had failed to honour the July agreement between the camps and called on him and the board to step aside.
"I don't see how there's any leeway," said Macek, when asked if there was still room for one of the current board to join his camp.
Unless Casey and the board step aside, the Macek-led group will stand against it at the annual meeting in December.
Macek said it would be his preference to have the election, should it be necessary, then, rather than at an earlier extraordinary general meeting, which would cost the club tens of thousands of dollars.
He said his group supported the appointments of Terry Wallace - as negotiated in the July "truce" between the factions - and of chief executive Steve Wright. He also offered an endorsement of influential football director Greg Miller.
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2004/09/07/1094530611386.html
