- Martin Corrie is LTA’s sole nomination for place on ITF main board
- The LTA also revealed that it supports incumbent president Dave Haggerty.
- Although he admitted he was “deeply concerned about the governance of sport”
The governance of British tennis plunged into disarray on Thursday when the president of the Lawn Tennis Association resigned over a safeguarding issue – only to immediately become the sole candidate for a prestigious role in the game’s global administration.
At the same time that Martin Corrie’s departure was announced, it was also confirmed that he became the only LTA candidate for a place on the board of the International Tennis Federation.
Delving further into a sea of contradictions, the LTA also revealed it was supporting incumbent president Dave Haggerty in Friday’s ITF presidential election, while admitting it was “deeply concerned about the governance of the sport”.
Martin Corrie has left the LTA and is now running for a position on the ITF board.
Corrie had previously temporarily resigned as LTA chairman while an independent inquiry examined a historic safeguarding case involving a local junior player and coach while he served on the Hertfordshire county executive committee in 2004.
Although there was no suggestion he was personally involved in any wrongdoing, it was admitted on Thursday that the complaint had not been handled properly by those in authority. By resigning, he will avoid a full disciplinary hearing.
“I, the Hertfordshire Executive Committee and the LTA recognize that matters should have been handled differently both in the manner in which the allegations were handled and in the support offered to the victim by the Hertfordshire LTA and I sincerely apologize for my role in this,” Corrie said in a statement.
“After careful consideration, I have voluntarily decided that it would be in the best interests of all concerned to step down from my role as Chairman of the LTA and the LTA Board of Directors. I do not want anything to distract from the important role the LTA plays in promoting and embedding best practice in the management and safeguarding of tennis, the sport I love.
Yet at the same time it emerged that the man who succeeded him, David Rawlinson, was withdrawing from his bid to sit on the ITF Board as the second British member. This leaves Corrie as the only candidate backed by the British governing body for one of international football’s prestigious jobs.
Voting for positions within global organizations will take place on Friday in Lisbon and will also see the deciding vote on who will be president for the next four years.
The LTA also revealed it supports outgoing president Dave Haggerty (left)
The LTA revealed on Thursday that it would back Haggerty over the other of its three rivals it had considered backing, London-based Irishman Dave Miley.
This is despite the British organization voting against the Americans’ landmark changes to the Davis Cup last year and admitting it was unhappy with many aspects of the ITF’s current direction.
“We are deeply concerned about the governance of sport, the role of the ITF in this area and a number of recent decisions,” the LTA said in a statement. “The LTA Board has had extensive discussions about the upcoming ITF presidential vote and we do not believe this is the right time for a radical regime change.
While Miley is running on a slate of reforms, she has chosen to support the status quo. The LTA’s support is important, as they are a Grand Slam nation and therefore have a maximum of 12 votes under the electoral system.
