Coronavirus measures hit hard for A-League’s foreign players
The FFA will stand down 160 staff in a move that chief executive James Johnson described as ‘regrettable’ as the sport’s governing body battles to keep the game financially viable.
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Following the lead of many other sporting organisations, FFA has decided to stand down approximately 70 per cent of its staff due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Just three days after confirming the suspension of the A-League until at least April 22, FFA chief executive James Johnson said it had been necessary to make the “regrettable” decision to keep the federation financially viable.
“Virtually all football activity has now ceased for the foreseeable future because of COVID-19,” Johnson said.
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“These developments impact many forms of revenue for FFA, including national registration fees, broadcast fees, sponsorship, ticket sales and government funding, so we have needed to adjust our operations to ensure that we can remain operational.”
It’s understood the decision could affect up to 160 people, with the federation directly employing 230 staff.
Johnson said a small number of staff would stay on during the pandemic to maintain operations and communication with the community.
“We view this as a temporary stoppage of football,” he said.
“We will be continually reviewing the situation and the impact of COVID-19 on grassroots football and the remainder of the Hyundai A-League season.
“We need a strong national governing body in place and a team ready and able to get back to work as soon as possible, as football will play an essential role in the recovery of our nation post COVID-19.”
Friday’s announcement did not mention whether executives would be following the example of the AFL by taking pay cuts or knocking back bonuses during the shutdown.
A-League’s foreign stars stuck in limbo
They’re the A-League’s Foreign Legion, stranded far from families thanks to the ructions caused by the coronavirus crisis and not sure when they’ll be able to return home.
Almost all of the competition’s 53 foreigners are believed to be staying in Australia for the time being, even as travel restrictions get tighter around the world, hoping they will be able to finish the season eventually despite the spread of COVID-19.
Many are on one-year contracts, which will end in theory on May 31, but it remains unclear what the status of this season will be by then – and what prospects there will be for them travelling back to their homelands.
In all cases, leaving now would in all likelihood rule them out of playing again if and when the season restarts, at least while Australia prevents inward travel for all but Australian citizens and permanent residents.
Their situations vary widely by club – all four of Sydney FC’s visa players have been re-signed for next season and are staying put for the time being, while four of Adelaide’s quintet of foreigners are expecting to leave at the end of this campaign, whenever that is.
Almost all the league’s visa players are remaining for now, bar a handful given dispensation to leave on compassionate grounds. Among those are Bobby Burns and Joe Ledley at the Jets, both managing to get on scarce flights back to the UK on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively for family reasons.
Jets CEO Lawrie McKinna admitted there was “a risk” of them not being available when the season resumes, depending on the state of travel restrictions at the time.
“But it was the right thing to do in the circumstances, and we’ll see what the situation looks like down the track when we can start playing again,” he said.
Sydney FC’s English striker Adam Le Fondre had been planning to return to the UK in the off-season for the first time in two years to visit family, but knows that is now on indefinite hold.
“I had been aiming to go, but we just can’t now,” he said.
“There’s no point even attempting it – if we went back to England now we’d be straight into lockdown.
“We’re happy here in Australia, we’re settled, and hopefully this all calms down before too long,” he said.
The status of the visa players is “potentially a very big issue”, said John Didulica, CEO of the players association.
“There are options for a small extension, or a bridging visa, but ordinarily normal visa rules apply when their contract finishes.
“FIFA has issued guidance suggesting that contracts extend for the same period as any leagues that have to play beyond their normal end dates, so really their fate is entwined with what happens with the competition.”
Ironically the suspension of the season has helped Le Fondre professionally, allowing him to rest a couple of minor injuries as part of an individual training program given to each player.
Beyond that, though, he is desperate for the season to resume, once the environment is safe enough to do so.
“We’re on the cusp of being one of the best A-League teams ever, we’ve set a few records but now it’s on hold indefinitely.
“Being selfish, of course we’re disappointed, but we can also see the scale of what’s going on and what’s necessary to combat it.”
‘TO PULL UP A FEW WEEKS SHORT IS HEARTBREAKING’
“Mission difficult has become mission impossible.”
With those words, Football Federation chief executive James Johnson confirmed that the A-League’s season has been halted, with increasingly desperate attempts to finish it finally halted.
Throwing the sport into a similar crisis as the other codes, the competition is officially postponed, but any resumption is likely to be months away — if ever, at least in terms of this campaign.
Though some A-League owners had discussed calling the season finished at this point, it has just been paused — with a highly theoretical “review date” of April 22.
Wellington Phoenix will now return to New Zealand, with the exception of four Australian players who will remain here with their families, and the bulk of the squad will go into 14 days of self-isolation once on home soil.
Partly for contractual reasons in terms of broadcast and sponsorship deals, officials ultimately decided to postpone the remaining rounds, rather than formally declare the season over, and privately have emphasised that they could complete the regular season in three weeks if restrictions are eased at some point.
However it will quickly become impractical to keep players match fit, coupled with a growing likelihood that players and coaches will be caught in the spread of COVID-19, sending teammates into quarantine.
“To get so close to completing the competition, only to pull up a few weeks short, has been heartbreaking for the players, clubs and fans,” said Johnson.
“That said, the health and safety of our fans, players, volunteers and staff has always been the overriding consideration for us.
“That is fundamentally what led — with the unanimous support of the state and territory federations – to the suspension of grassroots football until April 14. Tuesday’s decision was equally difficult to make but it is borne from the same rationale.”
League officials had hoped to somehow finish the season with a truncated fixture list, but growing border controls within Australia and for anyone entering New Zealand forced a rethink shortly after the NRL announced it was pulling the pin.
In particular the severe restrictions imposed by the New Zealand government from Wednesday lunchtime onwards threatened to leave the Wellington Phoenix squad stranded in Australia for months if they had stayed here to try to see out the season.
There was also confusion over Brisbane Roar’s situation, with the Queensland government introducing border controls but hinting that there would be some exemptions.
With WA and SA also putting border controls in place, A-League officials had sought to put together a radical plan to base all the teams in Sydney and try to race through the remaining games.
As recently as Monday afternoon, Perth owner Tony Sage had said he was ready to fly the Glory squad to Sydney to play under those terms, but the rapidly changing environment overtook them.
Clubs and the league had moved heaven and earth to keep playing in order to fulfil the terms of their broadcast contracts, with players under effective quarantine in their own homes and at training grounds.
Though the loss of ticket income from the games left will hit A-League clubs, the potential loss of TV income is a far greater existential threat. The financial realities have started to bite clubs already.
Several clubs are understood to have started taking steps to cut back their workforce, and FFA will have to address its own wage bill given the redundancies at both the NRL and AFL.
Each game played behind closed doors was estimated to cost the clubs between $150,000-$250,000 in lost revenue, while the ticket revenue from the finals series has always been a major earner for FFA.