A "full peace deal remains some way off in the pay dispute" that has driven a split between A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers players and management, "even as the players have backed away from threat of a Club World Cup boycott," according to Tom Smithies of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. Despite "ongoing negotiations between the club and its players in Rabat over the division of the prize money, no new offer good enough to convince the players to sign up to it has yet been tabled." But though the players "remain furious at the lack of significant progress, they seem certain to address those through other avenues than a boycott." Instead a "grievance claim under the A-League’s code of conduct remains a real possibility, though the players would much prefer to reach a resolution with the club directly this week." Under FIFA rules, the Wanderers could face a fine of A$25,000 ($20,600), a "compensation claim from FIFA and the possibility of a ban from global competitions if they voided Sunday's game." Offered a 10% share of the Wanderers' A$1.2M appearance fee, "plus a rising scale of rewards for winning games, the Western Sydney squad will hold more talks with its union." Fully aware of the consequences, the players insist they "remain steadfast in their determination to secure a better deal from the club." With "continued uncertainty over the legal basis of the players' claim, a more immediate option is to file the grievance claim, with the case to be heard by an independent mediator." Wanderers defender Matthew Spiranovic said, "(Playing) is what we love to do and that’s our job. We just worry about the things we can control and we do our best to prepare the best we can and the focus definitely will be 100 per cent on this week’s game" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 12/11).
