Socceroos and Matildas Players Sue Football Australia
Australia's national team players are pursuing a seven-figure sum from their governing body in a revenue-share dispute, though Football Australia says the court action concerns a separate matter.
Two accounts of one court case are circulating in Australian football. The players' union went to the NSW Supreme Court for Socceroos and Matildas players, and the governing body says the case is about something else.
How the players share in national team income
The 2023 collective bargaining agreement lets senior players take a cut of Football Australia's revenue from the Socceroos and Matildas. Ticketing, broadcast and sponsorship tied to those teams count toward it.
Registration fees and sponsors of junior participation programs are excluded.
The national teams supply up to half of the governing body's revenue. The players' cut of the relevant commercial arrangements is 18 to 20%. The agreement also contains mechanisms meant to push both sides toward bigger deals and let them split the gains.
The claim and the response
AAP understands that Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) is chasing a seven-figure sum from Football Australia. The union is expected to argue that the revenue share is not being serviced properly. It declined to comment.
Football Australia confirms it knows of the filing. It says the case relates to a third party and to a separate matter before the National Dispute Resolution Chamber. "The Supreme Court's role is limited to the subpoena process," a spokesperson said. The body will say no more because that matter is ongoing and confidential.
The central issue is believed to be the governing body's commercial deals, and whether players receive a fair share of its revenue.
A crowded November
The dispute comes just before the November international window. The Socceroos travel to the Middle East this month, where the regional conflict is expected to raise tensions and security concerns. Tony Popovic is due to name his squad later this week for a match against Qatar in Doha and another against Jordan in Amman.
The Matildas host Colombia in two friendlies, in Canberra and Geelong.
Earlier legal trouble for the governing body
This is not the first time Football Australia has been on the receiving end of a claim. It settled out of court with Macarthur FC, which said it was misled before entering the A-League in 2020. It also settled an unfair dismissal case brought by Ernie Merrick, its former chief football officer.
A deal with a September end date
The collective bargaining agreement lapses in September next year. Talks on new terms have not started. They come after the PFA and the A-Leagues reached an impasse on pay earlier this year.
Our View
The report quotes no court papers, so the claim and the denial cannot yet be tested against each other. The papers themselves, or a PFA statement once it stops declining comment, would show whether the revenue share is truly at issue. The expiry of the agreement in September gives any dispute over the money a clock, and the start of talks on new terms is the next event that could show it.
Source: The Guardian