Melbourne Victory's off-field upheaval continues with chief executive Trent Jacobs to depart the struggling A-League club.
Jacobs said the time was right for him to move on after 13 years at the club - the last three of which was spent as CEO - with head coach Tony Popovic arriving in July on a three-year deal with a licence to effectively overhaul the Victory.
"With a refresh of our football department due to occur when Tony Popovic takes the helm for next season, now is the right time to depart the club as it heads towards a new era both on and off the pitch," Jacobs said.
"It has been a very difficult 14 months, in particular through COVID-19, and after reflecting over the past few weeks I made the difficult decision not to continue in the chief executive role.
"I want to spend more time with my family, who have supported me incredibly over this period, and take some time to consider my future and next steps."
Early in Jacobs' tenure, Victory won the 2017-18 A-League championship but their men's side went downhill from there, particularly after coach Kevin Muscat departed in May 2019.
They have since been through four mentorss in less than two years - with Marco Kurz, interim Carlos Salvachua and Grant Brebner all having failed stints at the helm and Steve Kean working as caretaker until the end of this season.
Victory finished 10th (out of 11 teams) last year and currently sit 11th out of 12 this season, while they have also had a string of recruits fail to make an impact.
Club director and company secretary Caroline Carnegie will step in immediately as managing director, tasked with "completing the review and transformation of Melbourne Victory that is currently underway", including a succession plan at the appropriate time.
Jacobs will remain at Victory for several weeks to help with the transition.
"We would like to thank Trent for his contribution to the club. He has played a significant role in the growth of Melbourne Victory over a long period of time, driving revenues, strategy and developing new areas of the business," Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro said.
"He has worked tirelessly during his tenure, particularly through the COVID-19 pandemic and we look forward to properly acknowledging Trent's achievements as the season reaches its conclusion."
A member of Football Australia's Women's Council, Carnegie led the legal team for the unbundling of the professional leagues from FA on behalf of the A-League clubs.
Australian Associated Press
