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Leagues and Governing Bodies

Parramatta's Execs Divided After Fox Sports Publishes Transcripts From Board Meetings

The crisis "engulfing" National Rugby League side Parramatta "went up another notch on Monday" as Parramatta Leagues Club CEO Bevan Paul "rejected the terms of an offer for him to be installed as an interim Group CEO, confirming a picture of a strife-torn club in which senior figures are bitterly opposed," according to Chris Barrett of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Explosive transcripts from "recorded board meetings that were included in the NRL's salary cap were published by Fox Sports." Hours earlier Paul had "told board members he would refuse to take over as CEO of the football side of the business unless he was given at least a year in the job." However, the Eels board, which has "only four remaining members" due to the suspensions of Chair Steve Sharp and directors Tom Issa and Peter Serrao, has been intent on "only offering the position in an interim capacity of a matter of months" and have balked at meeting Paul's conditions. As of Monday, both parties "were refusing to budge, leaving the football club effectively rudderless until a stand-in CEO can be found." Three of the remaining members of the Eels board -- Paul Garrard, Tanya Gadiel and Andrew Cordwell -- have "also refused to support the other director still in place, Geoff Gerard," as an interim chair after he emerged over the past week as Parramatta's de facto spokesperson with a "series of public comments." That stance "has also contributed to deep division at the Eels" (SMH, 5/16). FOX SPORTS' Paul Hooper reported extracts from the secret boardroom meeting tapes led to Parramatta "being docked 12 competition points for blatantly cheating the salary cap" through A$3M ($2.2M) worth of "undisclosed third-party payments." Fox Sports obtained a copy of the NRL’s Breach Notice issued to the Parramatta Eels on May 3, "which details the tape recordings." On the recordings, board member Tanya Gadiel talks about the f-word -- "fraud" -- while another board member, Andrew Cordwell, "instructs the tape be switched off when the group is deep in discussion about Anthony Watmough and a dodgy third-party deal." The tapes "clearly show the three board members" whom the NRL has suspended -- Sharp, Issa and Serrao -- along with CEO John Boulous and GM of Football Daniel Anderson were "abundantly aware of what was going on at the club" (FOX SPORTS, 5/16).

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