Tone-deaf until the end, there was a simple message chairman Steven Lowy missed as he listed the achievements of his outgoing FFA regime.
Lowy, who replaced his father as FFA chairman three years ago, has been derided by opponents as out-of-touch but could always point to his family's record of service to the sport.
But too many people within Australian football felt distant from decision-making. Left out of the loop.
That's why state federations voted on Tuesday to reject what Steven Lowy called the "independent governance" model for FFA, and open it up to new voices.