A-League players demand clarity on Fox Sports broadcast deal

Anxious A-League players are demanding clarity over the future of Fox Sports’ broadcast deal with the FFA.

Professional Footballers Association chief executive John Didulica. Picture: AAP

Anxious A-League players are demanding clarity over the future of Fox Sports’ broadcast deal with the FFA.

Several clubs including Adelaide, Central Coast, Perth Glory and Newcastle have all stood down players and staff following the decision last week to suspend the competition during the coronavirus pandemic.

The suspension has increased fears Fox could walk out on its $57 million-a-year agreement with the FFA despite the deal not expiring until 2023.

It’s understood a $900,000 quarterly payment to clubs from Fox will not be paid following the competition’s postponement, a decision which has contributed to clubs standing down players.

The ongoing uncertainty has led to players directing their union to demand an answer from the broadcaster.

“What’s underpinning a lot of the anxiety or certainly what’s feeding a lot of the anxiety is the lack of clarity and transparency from Fox,” Professional Footballers Australia chief executive John Didulica said.

“Dividends are due. We all know that people will have their own interpretation of what contracts mean and don’t mean but ultimately the lack of clarity from Fox is referring a lot of anxiety on to clubs who are in turn referring a lot of that anxiety on to the players.

“I don’t think that’s a healthy approach to business at a time when a lot of people are suffering at a very human level.”

The PFA is also working with international players’ union FIFPRO to potentially create a hardship fund along with FIFA for professional footballers affected by the crisis across the globe.

Adelaide United director of football Bruce Djite said off-contract players have been left with “nowhere to go” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Reds stood their players and football staff down on Wednesday as the financial impact of the competition’s suspension hits hard.

While those with a contract for next season may be eligible for the federal government’s JobKeeper funding, Djite said for those whose deals expire on May 31, there was little option with leagues across the world also postponed.

“The ones that are off-contract won’t be eligible and that’s a concern that they have,” Djite told SEN SA Breakfast on Thursday.

“They may be eligible for a part of it but then from 1 June onwards, you’d just really hate to be coming out of contract this season because you really have nowhere to go, literally.

“One of the good things about our sport is if Australia was blowing up you could just pick up your bags and hopefully try to get a deal overseas. Well the whole world is shut down, so very uncertain times for those boys.”

Over 100 players across the A-League are off-contract at the end of May.

Didulica said what is normally an anxious period for any professional footballer had only been made worse by clubs standing them down without pay.

Didulica said without the alternatives of lower-tier domestic football or overseas leagues, players were dealing with a complete lack of options.

“Now we have a third dynamic that’s been added which compounds the inherent anxiety in being a footballer, which is the denial of salary,” Didulica said.

“What really has disillusioned a large group of players is that that reality hasn’t been considered by many clubs in how those players have been treated.”

AAP