Football
Associated Press 8y

Steven Lowy replaces father Frank as Football Federation Australia boss

Steven Lowy has been elected to replace his father, Frank Lowy, as chairman of Football Federation Australia.

Frank Lowy was the foundation chairman when the sport's national governing body was revamped to become Football Federation Australia in 2003.

The 85-year-old billionaire, who is chairman of shopping mall operator Westfield Corporation, retired from the FFA's top job and will remain as an honorary president.

Steven Lowy, 52, was voted in unanimously as chairman for a three-year term.

He denied there was any nepotism, saying "I went through a process like everyone else, proving I had the credentials" and said "nothing was handed to me. There was a diligent process that took place that is of the highest order of corporate governance."

Lowy Jr. takes the leadership of FFA just as a new documentary about alleged corruption in the bidding to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups is due to be aired in Australia.

"Played: Inside Australia's Failed World Cup bid" will be broadcast by ABC on Tuesday, in which Frank Lowy opens up about the process which has rocked world governing body FIFA ever since the tournament's were awarded to Russia and Qatar.

"The funnelling of money to people who were in a position to influence a vote was done on an industrial scale; tens of millions of dollars," Mark Ryan, advisor to Frank Lowy, is reported as saying in the film by AAP.

"We didn't have natural gas contracts to threaten countries with, or the supply of aircraft or military hardware. These were the kind of deals that were being traded in exchange for World Cup bid votes and we were nowhere in that game."

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