Adelaide United players among three quarters of Australian soccer professionals concerned for future career as a result of coronavirus
Adelaide United defender Michael Marrone says Reds players are among the three quarters of Australian soccer professionals concerned for their future careers as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Michael Marrone says some of his Adelaide United teammates are among the three quarters of Australian soccer players concerned about their future as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The defender revealed several fellow Reds had expressed fears for their livelihoods since the club’s squad was stood down indefinitely in the wake of the A-League season postponement.
His comments follow the release of a Professional Footballers Australia survey on Wednesday, that found 77 per cent of male and female players were concerned for their careers.
But the veteran said colleagues had raised doubts about the sustainability of the competition, as its future hung in the balance due to a lack of match-day revenue and TV rights income.
“I’ve been speaking to a couple of the players in the team that have a lot of anxiety with what’s happening with the league,” Marrone, 33, said.
“I’m not one of them. There’s not really anything we can control as players.
“But there’s so many variables and so much uncertainty.
“One major thing is the money in the league, because if the money’s not in the league then that changes things drastically for everyone.
“Not just players, but coaches, backroom staff, fans. It changes everything.”
The PFA study, run in conjunction with global player representative body FIFPro, surveyed more than 150 professional Australian footballers over the past two months.
As well as the overall concerns, 58 per cent of players reported symptoms of anxiety during the government-enforced hiatus, while 45 per cent had signs of depression.
The figures represent a sharp spike, given the PFA usually finds about 8 per cent of its members report moderate-to-severe anxiety.
It comes as A-League clubs await the final payment of Fox Sports’ $57 million per year TV deal with Football Federation Australia.
The deadline for the instalment was Wednesday.
“Obviously I have concerns,” said father-of-two Marrone, who signed a one-year contract extension in January.
“But I don’t wake up in the morning and think about it.
“I’m still speaking with players and keeping in touch.
“Everyone is in the same situation, so if you need someone to have a chat to everyone is in the same boat.
“There’s a lot of questions about the postponement of the season, whether this is our holidays or what will the league look like next year?
“But I’ve said to a few of the guys I’ve spoken to just try to make the best out of a bad situation. That’s the approach I’ve taken.”
PFA chief executive John Didulica said the survey findings highlighted a need for a fresh approach to coronavirus.
“These alarming trends should be a wake-up call and should rightly reframe the focus of COVID-19 on football from economic impacts to the human and health impacts,” Didulica said.