Usain Bolt told to stay away from training as splits emerge in relationship with Mariners
UPDATE: USAIN Bolt’s future in Australian football will be decided quickly, with the Mariners expecting a decision on their contract offer in little more than a fortnight.
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UPDATE: USAIN Bolt’s future in Australian football will be decided quickly, with the Mariners expecting a decision on their contract offer in little more than a fortnight.
As the Olympic champion mulls over the $100,000 offer Central Coast made at the weekend, Bolt has told teammates he will be travelling to Europe next month for a previously agreed commercial engagement.
The club will expect a firm decision before then, with growing expectations it will mark the end of his “open-ended trial” and bid to become a professional footballer – at least in Australia.
Though efforts are being made to find commercial partners to augment the deal put to Bolt at the weekend, the club signalled on Tuesday that it would not offer any more money and agreed he would stay away from training until his future is clarified.
Some 48 hours after offering Bolt a $100,000 A-League contract, funded entirely by a marketing agreement with Football Federation Australia, Central Coast firmed up their position by warning that external funding would be needed to make the contract figure any more lucrative.
The club expects the deal to be rejected, based on previous conversations with Bolt’s management, a development that would almost certainly bring to an end his footballing experiment in Australia.
It’s understood that Bolt’s management had been pressing for a deal to be agreed since he scored twice in a trial game at Campbelltown earlier this month, but the club has seemingly taken a more hardball stance.
“Without the financial contribution of an external third-party, it is unlikely that Usain Bolt and the Central Coast Mariners will agree to terms,” the Mariners said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
“To ensure that there is no distraction to the A-League squad in preparing for this weekend’s match vs. Melbourne City; Usain Bolt will not attend team training this week, until and if, the club and Usain Bolt can agree to terms and formalise an arrangement.”
Though the club stressed that “both parties are eager to explore all options and ensure that if there is a suitable way forward for both player and club,” Bolt is effectively being challenged to take a deal for a fraction of his brand value and prove himself as a player.
Coach Mike Mulvey has also made clear that Bolt does not figure in his immediate first-team plans, a situation the club underlined in its statement.
In effect Bolt is being warned that if he does accept the deal he will get no special dispensation in terms of game time, and is likely to struggle to play at all.
“We feel that he will improve further with more individual intensive training and competitive game time,” the club said. “We are looking at ways to do this as the club does not have the luxury to be able to do this in the A-League.”
It’s understood that Mulvey’s comments after the draw with Brisbane on Sunday – in which he questioned how Bolt would fit into his team - surprised the sprinter, whose goals against Campbelltown had gone viral around the world.
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Originally published as Usain Bolt told to stay away from training as splits emerge in relationship with Mariners
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