Central Coast Mariners players reportedly free to leave in January transfer window

THE Mariners are braced for a points deduction and transfer embargo if their mounting superannuation debts are not cleared within the next fortnight.

THE Mariners are braced for a points deduction and transfer embargo by the middle of January if their mounting superannuation debts are not cleared within the next fortnight.

As cashflow issues crystallise at the Gosford club, still awaiting the $1.5m sell-on fee from Mat Ryan’s move to Valencia in July, owner Mike Charlesworth is coming under increasing pressure to resolve the financial woes and avoid potentially crippling consequences.

Under tough new regulations brought in last month, clubs still owing players money by the end of 2015 face immediate and substantial penalties.

On the morning of January 1, players can give the clubs two days’ notice to clear the debts, and then refer them to an A-League tribunal — which is meant to adjudicate in a matter of days.

If the club is found guilty, it will be slapped with an immediate ban on signing players, and seven days later a suspended points deduction.

If the debts are not cleared within another seven days the points deduction is activated — but the embargo will stay in place until the debts are cleared.

Though several clubs are believed to owe varying amounts, the Mariners are facing the most immediate crisis with some players claiming to be owed super going back to the second quarter of 2013.

They have been incensed by the claim from the club’s executive vice-chairman, Peter Storrie, in October to this newspaper that the super debts were being cleared.

It comes as several players consider the option of applying to have their contracts terminated, though it’s understood none yet has.

Morale in the Mariners camp has reportedly slumped after a run of poor results.

Discontent within the Mariners’ dressing room has fomented as results have deteriorated, and several players are understood to have been in touch with other clubs.

A-League players have always had the right to apply to the same tribunal to have their contracts annulled if clubs are behind on player payments, as Luke Brattan proved in exiting Brisbane in July.

But with the transfer window opening early in January, the Mariners could be caught by a double whammy of players leaving and a transfer embargo preventing them from signing replacements.

With the club currently operating at the minimum level of squad numbers, that could theoretically put Charlesworth in breach of his A-League licence if the playing roster dropped below that minimum.

Further concerning the players is that even if their outstanding super was suddenly paid, such a substantial sum being put into their accounts could have significant tax implications — which they would then seek to claim from the club.

It’s believed players at clubs including Brisbane and Adelaide are satisfied that enough progress has been made to be comfortable that the debts will be cleared, even if the December 31 deadline is officially missed.

Mariners CEO Shaun Mielekamp said he club still hoped to resolve the outstanding issues before the end of December, and declined to comment on “hypothetical” scenarios beyond that.

“We’re working through these matters, and hopefully we will have done so satisfactorily before the new rules come into force,” he said.

Originally published as Central Coast Mariners players reportedly free to leave in January transfer window