The mayor of the Inner West Council has implored the state government to intervene as a boardroom stoush at the Wests Tigers enters an ugly new chapter.
The Sydney Morning Herald revealed three directors of the Holman Barnes Group were handed lengthy bans on New Year’s Eve by the majority owner of the embattled NRL club.
Tony Andreacchio, Rick Wayde and David Gilbert were banned for a total of almost 15 years for alleged historic “misdemeanours”.
The Holman Barnes Group runs the Wests Ashfield club which holds a majority stake in the Tigers.
Those three men, however, also instigated an independent review of the Tigers which led to major changes at the club which has collected the NRL’s wooden spoon three years in a row.
The boardroom divide is threatening to split the Tigers, who are a merged venture of the old Balmain and Wests Magpies clubs.
Inner West mayor Darcy Byrne now wants the NSW government to step in and sort out the mess.
It comes after Wide World of Sports revealed a group of fans have started a petition calling for the boardroom fighting to end.
“That’s what the fans want, and that is what’s needed for Wests Tigers to survive and thrive,” Byrne said, via the Herald.
“We’ve finally got things moving in the right direction on the football field.
“Tigers fans can’t afford for backroom brawling to undermine our team’s long-awaited recovery in 2025.
“I’m flabbergasted (about the director bans). This is extraordinary and concerning news for Wests Tigers fans.
“For four of the seven board members to suspend the other three directors from the club from their roles for periods of up to eight years is beyond belief.”
The external review of the Tigers led to chairman Lee Hagipantelis and CEO Justin Pascoe being exiled from the Tigers, much to the delight of long-suffering fans.
The the three men who instigated that change are now sidelined.
“The tragedy is the club is in great shape through the work of the CEO and the executive team,” Wayde – who has been banned for eight years – said on Wednesday.
“The remaining directors are only worried about self-interest and winding back the review which is a problem for the Wests Tigers.”
