Johnson out-polls Schwab to land FFA top job

Former Australian youth international James Johnson will be anointed as Football Federation Australia's new CEO imminently after out-polling rival Brendan Schwab, who has subsequently pulled out of the race.

Source: Supplied

Frantic late lobbying from Schwab’s backers - including the PFA and Victorian state federation chief Kimon Taliadores - failed to generate the numbers needed to sway the eight-strong board.

And, with the writing on the wall, former PFA turned FIFPro boss Schwab withdrew his candidacy, contrary to reports that he had simply decided to step aside, possibly for altruistic reasons.

It’s understood there was tangible disquiet among some on the board over the extent of pressure applied from the Schwab camp to get him over the line as David Gallop’s successor.

But with board now aligned, along with the majority of the game’s myriad of stakeholders, ex-Joey Johnson will return to his roots after over a decade abroad, first as the AFC’s head of external affairs, and then as head of professional football at FIFA where he will juggle the aspirations of the world’s top leagues.

A senior vice president with City Football Group for the last year, Johnson is seen by swathes of the Australian football community as the ideal choice to align the grassroots with head office and unite a deeply fractured sport in a way Gallop was never able to accomplish.

A promising career as a player was snuffed out by injury, but Johnson went on to qualify as a lawyer and worked for the PFA in his formative years.

While highly regarded within the CFG, the Manchester-based powerbroker has a deep affection for the game at home and will relish the chance to bring his stamp to the national team setup, bidding for the FIFA Women’s World Cup and improving player pathways in an era when the A-League no longer falls under FFA’s remit.

Assuming there are no late hiccups, it’s expected he will take charge in January.