Socceroos players to earn a minimum of $150,000 each in Brazil as FFA considers pay cuts

THE World-Cup bound Socceroos face a pay cut next year with Football Federation Australia to look to reducing player match fees.

PLANS to cut the Socceroos’ match fees by up to 40 per cent have been met with surprise by the players’ union.

Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop on Tuesday warned that the Australian squad might have to accept a staggered payment system, under which the current $6500 a game would be earned only against teams with big box-office appeal.

The Australian side also shares in commercial revenue earned by FFA related to the Socceroos, meaning the squad will earn about $2.6 million from the World Cup — regardless of results.

Though Gallop and Professional Footballers Australia have just agreed on a new pay deal through to June next year, Gallop warned that he expected to rein in the earnings when subsequent negotiations begin.

It is understood the union is irked by the timing of the ­announcement — eight days before the squad sets off for the World Cup in Brazil.

“It’s a product of where we were at that time, but the next four-year cycle, I think we can come up with a more reasonable system,” Gallop said.

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“We need to look at the tiers of games we’re involved in. When we’re playing top-class opposition and there’s a big ­opportunity to make gate ­receipts, then the pay can be at one level.

“But when the Socceroos play in lesser games in the next four-year cycle, as we did last year with the (East Asian Cup), we need to be looking at ­appropriate remuneration for those games.”

The PFA agreed to lower match payments for the East Asia Cup in December 2012, because of the lack of revenue, but its chief executive, Adam Vivian, said it had not been told of plans for more cuts.

“Unlike past Socceroos negotiations, which were damaged by administrators who believed there was benefit in delaying talks to leverage their position against the players in the lead-up to important games, the negotiations with FFA were smooth and professional,” Vivian said.

“(But) the issues raised by David in the media were not tabled by FFA.”

Football Federation Australia CEO David Gallop has hinted at a pay restructure.

Vivian said it was “too early to discuss the next round of bargaining”.

Meanwhile, Gallop said the relatively young Socceroos World Cup squad was the start of a new era.

“We’re not going to come out and be expected to have huge results every time we play in this next period, but we’re building towards the future,” Gallop said.

Originally published as Socceroos players to earn a minimum of $150,000 each in Brazil as FFA considers pay cuts