Gaza president Don Rosella resigns ahead of salary cap breach penalty

Gaza Football Club’s president fired angry tirades as he announced another surprise move which further darkens the future of his embattled club.

Gaza Football Club president Don Rosella has resigned a week after the club was found guilty on 223 counts of salary cap breaches by an independent SANFL tribunal.

Rosella, who was found guilty of involvement in the breaches during 2021 and 2022 by Justice Michael David, KC – the independent Salary Cap Commissioner – handed the club a letter of resignation last night with seven days’ notice.

The decision comes just a week before Rosella and the club learn their penalties for the breaches involving player payments, total player match payments, sign-on breaches and false contracts during the 2018 to 2022 Adelaide Footy League seasons.

At the SANFL tribunal hearing, Rosella claimed he caught wind of breaches before becoming president in 2020 and tried to stop them by removing certain people from the club.

Gaza president Don Rosella has resigned after the club was found guilty on 223 counts of salary cap breaches. Picture: Mark Brake

Rosella, who has also been a major sponsor of Gaza for the last seven years, told this masthead he was “deceived” by others at the club.

“I’ve been deceived and kept in the dark, especially when it comes to what happened in 2018 and 2019,” he said.

“I’ve known since last October that a certain group of people at the club were conspiring against me and that I’d be blamed for everything.

“They roped me into joining the committee and becoming a sponsor because the club needed money – they wanted me to help but then when things went bad they turned on me.

“I don’t ever want to step foot in a place where they shake your hand and then you get stabbed in the back.”

Six players were involved in the overpayments throughout the four seasons, with the Eagles breaching total weekly player payment limits of $3,000 17 times in 2018 and nine times in 2019.

The Adelaide Footy League’s weekly total player payment limit dropped to $2,500 in the following seasons, with Gaza breaching the threshold in almost every round of 2021 and doubling it in every round of season 2022.

Rosella arriving for the Gaza Football Club appeal for years of salary cap breaches dating back to 2018. Picture: Mark Brake

Lawyers Andrew Culshaw and Garry Palasis, representing SANFL, also proved the club was falsifying player contracts in each season, paying individuals up to $600 more than their contracts – provided to the league – stated.

Rosella claimed he was not part of preparing contracts.

“There were people at the club who were preparing contracts and overall financials to look better than they actually were,” he claimed.

“It’s unfortunate because I’ve got a lot of friends there but I’ve had enough.”

The tribunal will reconvene on Tuesday, February 20 to hear Justice Michael David’s submissions on penalties, with official penalties to follow.