The FFV boardroom has lost its gender balance following the surprise resignation of three of its four female directors last Thursday week, leaving just one female among the five remaining directors on the board. Their exit was followed soon after by the resignation of interim CEO Cathy Acocks.

The ructions upstairs at FFV have seen the exit of directors Tal Karp, Sandra Lordanic and Tammi Rose as well as acting CEO Acocks, whose departure follows close on the heels of the recently-resigned former CEO Peter Gomes, who departed in June.

The FFV has remained silent on the reasons for the resignations. However, in a joint statement released to the Herald Sun, the three former directors indicated their reasons alluding to a recent board decision which they believed compromised their principles.

“The board’s governance and decision-making processes are inconsistent with our expectations of appropriate board processes,” they said.

“In particular we are unable to accept the approach taken by the board in respect of a recent decision which we believe compromises our role as directors.”

Although the directors’ statement didn’t give particulars of the decision, the Herald Sun believes it relates to a decision by the board to annul a 2014 FFV Tribunal guilty finding against lawyer, and former FFV board director, Aldrin de Zilva after he was charged with using offensive language and abusing a female referee at a junior match. The finding resulted in a two-year ban for de Zilva.

The recent resignations continue to raise concerns about the organisation’s governance and transparency, and about the board’s stability.

The election in March this year of three new board members − Antonella Care, Sezar Jakupi and Ken Steel − follows divisions in the past between the board and FFV members concerning the composition of the board and how board appointments were made.

The future of the current board remains unclear, as does how and who will fill the newly-vacated positions.

The FFV was not available for comment at the time of writing despite requests from Neos Kosmos.