EXCLUSIVE: How Daily Mail Australia got justice for furious Aussie battler after the Lionesses’ World Cup visit left him with a $25,000 financial nightmare

The English Football Association has been accused of putting a small Australian business in financial difficulty by running up a $25,000 bill that went unpaid for weeks after the country’s Lionesses left the country following the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Dale Bax has contacted Daily Mail Australia for help after making repeated unsuccessful attempts to get paid for services he provided to the national team during the tournament.

The situation became so dire that he threatened legal action – but once we got involved, the FA eventually arranged payment.

England reached the final of the showpiece event in Sydney, losing 1-0 to eventual champions Spain.

The team was based in Terrigal on the NSW central coast for their World Cup campaign, where the FA engaged the services of Gosford company Bax Audio Visual.

Bax said his company provided equipment and staff to create media content for the tournament, but was repeatedly rebuffed when he tried to get paid for his services.

“Last June they approached us for media equipment, to broadcast all the media coverage in the UK,” he said.

“Staging, media dispatchers, microphones, technicians, all that kind of stuff.

“We offered them an invoice in July and the client representative (FA media operations specialist) Jo (Plummer) said it would be sorted.”

“We kept pestering her for payment while the show was airing and while the work was being done, telling her we needed to be paid.

“She said it was a tricky thing, that it would be paid off soon, that it takes a little time because it’s a big undertaking.”

The Lionesses were based in Terrigal on the NSW central coast during their FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign when they called upon Bax’s services.

The FA has hired a local AV company for media equipment and technicians during the World Cup (England star Ella Toone, pictured)

The FA paid $5,000 of the bill, leaving around $25,000 unpaid.

“I sent him an email saying I was very nervous about not getting paid, especially given what happened at the (Sydney 2000) Olympics where other companies audiovisual companies were not paid for by foreign companies,” said Mr. Bax.

“She paid one of her bills, a small one, with a credit card. She said, “Look, it’s okay and to make you feel more comfortable, I’m going to pay for this one.”

“When they got to the final I sent him an email saying ‘you really need to sort this out today before you leave, because you’re leaving the country in the next few days and you haven’t paid the bill’ .

“She said ‘let’s go, here’s a purchase order number.’

“I thought you should have given us that PO number a long time ago.

“That was pretty much the end. She left, put me in touch with her accounting.

Bax was still looking to pay up long after the Lionesses lost the Women’s World Cup final 1-0 to Spain on August 20 (pictured)

Mr Bax personally contacted the FA about the payment on at least six occasions.

One of his employees who manages the account made additional payment requests.

The last email he received from the Football Association’s accounts payable team was on September 5 and was spotted by Daily Mail Australia along with invoices sent by Mr Bax.

“We have to make our international payments separately and so this document is signed by three financial signatories before we can make payment,” was the last correspondence Mr Bax received before Daily Mail Australia became involved.

“I have sent them several emails and they have promised to pay several times but I still haven’t heard anything,” he said.

“I told them last week ‘listen, if you don’t pay this week I’m going to have to seek legal advice’.

Bax Audio Visual has contacted the Football Association several times in an attempt to secure outstanding payment (England star Georgia Stanway is pictured during the World Cup)

In the meantime, Bax had to take a financial hit, which had disastrous consequences for its business.

“It can be 50 percent of your monthly turnover, I had to pay all my staff and everything for that,” he explained.

However, when Daily Mail Australia raised the issue with the FA on Tuesday, their actions stood in stark contrast to the delays Bax has faced.

A representative from the association told us that a “system error” was to blame for the delay and said the company would be paid within hours.

Bax received a payment notice from the FA on Wednesday morning providing proof of payment, with the FA’s senior director of financial operations apologizing for the delay and inconvenience caused.