"[Stajcic] has high expectations, he wants to get the best out of players, he puts a lot of pressure on players but that’s just football in general," said one player, expressing a common view. ‘I hold Staj in the highest regard’: Matilda Chloe Logarzo with the former coach. Credit:AAP But she also said the coach's support staff could be "skittish"as they worked to ensure everything from the training fields to accommodation, meals, travel arrangements, venues and equipment met Stajcic's high standards. She suggested that although the support staff often bore the brunt of any displeasure rather than the players, it did make the overall environment hostile at times. In a sense, all of this was nothing new. Stajcic was just the latest in a long lineof authoritarian bosses at the Matildas. It's not unusual in football and former Matildas coaches Adrian Santrac, Hesterine De Reus and Chris Tanzey all fit the bill and "Staj was no different", said one former player. That's not surprising. Stajcic is a product of the football system. A former state league player who came through High School sports programs as a coach, Stajcic progressed to state institutes, then the W-League, where his success with Sydney FC earned him the Matildas post in 2014.

Loading With the national team, Stajcic introduced demanding training loads that mirrored his exacting standards around performances on the pitch. He wanted his players to be tactically flexible, to be able to play numerous positions and to be as fit and fast as was humanly possible. The Herald has been told he was rarely satisfied and team talks often took on an "old school" tone. Of course, many players revelled in this. But there was a sense that those who didn't, might not last. Some of these issues were raised in the two FFA surveys of staff and players that were conducted by the PFA and women's rights group Our Watch. But when the FFA revealed evidence of a "toxic culture", it came as a surprise to almost everyone who had been around the team over the years. Subsequent suggestions of deep-seated divisions and rifts between players from different W-League teams were dismissed by many of the players. "It's all lies" said one former player who is still close to the side. That view has been repeated consistently. And it is backed up by the team's history. In the aftermath of their somewhat successful 2015 Women's World Cup campaign, the Matildas demonstrated that the close bond that had helped drive them to the quarter-final in Canada had also galvanised them off the field when all but one player banded together to boycott a 2015 tour of the US in favour of improved pay conditions.

Stunned: Matildas players embrace at a team camp in Coogee this week. Credit:AAP Much of that unity stems from their shared experience as professional women footballers. It's a hard slog. Along the way, many have helped their teammates land jobs or secure moves abroad. They've traversed the globe together, many are housemates of teammates while others are partners of teammates. That has led to a close bond among the players and few teams in Australian professional sport can boast a better support network than the Matildas. “There’s no rift," a player said. "The Matildas are the closest bunch of girls." Nahuel Arrarte, the Matildas former assistant coach who quit last week in protest at Stajcic's sacking, agreed. "In any squad, some get on better than others but cliques? Those days are pretty much gone," he said. One rule for one

While many talked of the Matildas being thick as thieves, more than one player said one of their teammates was regarded as problematic by her peers. It was claimed that while Stajcic was super demanding of everyone else in his squad, this player seemed to abide by another set of rules. It was also alleged that the player refused to turn up to team meetings, would walk out of video sessions and yet was frequently selected in starting line-ups. “It’s the only reason why we have a fracture," one player said. "Nobody wants her in the team but Staj would keep putting her up on a pedestal when she doesn’t act appropriately." To some, it appeared Stajcic was playing favourites. Other observers suggested his leniency was needed to get the most out of a talented, but volatile, player. And his approach worked on the field, at least at first. However, the longer it went on, the more players began to perceive there were double standards inside the dressing room. Many players have suggested that whatever stress there was within the group stemmed from this one divisive figure. That view was supported by one of her former coaches during the week, who said of the Matildas situation: "It's easy to fix. You just have to get rid of [that player]". Still, the player was not responsible for all of the broader tension. Much of that was said to rest with two remaining staff members. One of the issues cited by FFA insiders this week as evidence of a "toxic culture" has been the "fat shaming" of players. Arrarte said he had never seen any sign of that. “I can swear right now I’ve never seen or heard anything like that," he said.

Those who claim to have witnessed the body shaming of players suggest it wasn't systematic, was not about skinfold tests and did not come from Stajcic. Those who claim to have witnessed the body shaming of players suggest it wasn't systematic, was not about skinfold tests and did not come from Stajcic. Instead it took the form of flippant, quick and hurtful remarks made by other members of staff. One player claims to have regularly witnessed "fat shaming" behaviour at a dinner table, saying a certain staff member would regularly taunt girls about their weight. "Put the fork down" was a favourite barb, particularly with the teenage players. "You can’t say they’re overweight because the bottom line is girls can develop mental health issues," one senior source said. The behaviour was no secret among the staff. It was well-known that at least one player had developed an eating disorder over the past 12 months while she had been playing for a club that was pedantic about weight and diet. Against that background, the players who witnessed the "fat shaming" comments became increasingly angry. “We’re not accepting it anymore," one said. "We are outspoken, we are strong independent women and we are not going to take that anymore. We should never have taken it before but we just wanted to play. Now we have voices, we have status.”

There have also been suggestions of homophobia inside the Matildas set-up. Several male staff members were alleged to have frequently talked about a "lesbian mafia" that was out to get them. This was said so frequently it would even be tossed-up before journalists without a second thought. It was clear which powerbrokers it was in reference to. Over time, some players grew weary of the negative connotation around their sexuality. It was no secret that Stajcic was a demanding, "old school" type of character, who could be blunt and direct in one-on-one conversations. But away from the training ground, he was said to be nurturing and understanding. However, according to one Matilda, the atmosphere was different when he was with some of the other coaches.

"[Assistant coach] Gary van Egmond, [goalkeeper coach] Paul Jones and Staj together are very over the top," she said. In particular, van Egmond - father of Matildas' midfielder Emily van Egmond - is regarded by players as a divisive character. "Dutchy" was said to have fallen out with Stajcic in the months leading up to the sacking and the bad blood caused a lot of discomfort for those in the squad privy to it. During tactical sessions, one player said van Egmond would roll his eyes while Stajcic was presenting, and more than one said he challenged the coach in public confrontations that were "tense, to say the least". Jones - who resigned on Friday - is another who helped develop a "win at all costs" mentality that sat uneasily with several within the camp, while former assistant Heather Garriock was also said to be a tough taskmaster. Again, none of these traits are uncommon in elite football, but in a team that was undergoing a rapid transformation from part-time to professional standards, it is easy to see how the environment could be perceived as quite negative. Stajcic is the first coach to have overseen an almost entirely professional women's national team and even that was only the case during the latter years of his tenure.

Loading That drive for professionalism among the playing group required an unprecedented workload. Some women were playing over 60 games a year, across three teams (W-League, overseas clubs and national team) and as a consequence their well-being was managed only erratically. Not surprisingly, injury rates soared. In one of his last clashes with the FFA's senior management before being fired, the former Matildas coach fought for the W-League season to be brought forward by a fortnight, to offer the players a longer rest before the start of the international football cycle. The players backed his move, so much so that midfielder Tameka Butt settled on a date for her wedding on the weekend of February 9. However, there will now be a few empty tables at her special day after the FFA rejected Stajcic and the players' request of scheduling to account for others returning from overseas. "When the Westfield W-League 2018-19 season draw was developed, the decision was made to kick off on October 25 to allow players returning from NWSL [USA] to have a break before starting the competition," FFA head of leagues Greg O'Rourke said. "Shortening the Westfield W-League season is not part of our strategy for the competition."

Butt's wedding now coincides with the W-League semi-finals. She will have to miss that game but many of her guests will likely be unavailable. The fallout When the players met on Monday at a leadership camp at Coogee's Crowne Plaza, they hoped they would gain clarity and closure around Stajcic's sacking from FFA chief David Gallop. According to those in attendances, neither happened. On Tuesday, one senior player told the Herald :"Whatever is in the media is all we've been told." Those inside the meetings suggest the players received the same explanation as was told to the public. They were given no more details. Several players questioned Gallop. There were even accusations of collusion among board members, staff and outsiders to oust Stajcic. It is understood the overriding emotion in the room was one of "guilt". For many, there was a sense of regret that their answers to anonymous surveys, interviews and complaints were used as justification by the FFA for Stajcic's dismissal. The players say they raised valid concerns in order to seek resolutions not to cause the sacking of their long-serving and popular head coach.