Undisclosed agent fees, "cars for players' use and free accommodation
are behind the allegations" that A-League side Perth Glory have broken Football Federation Australia's "strict
salary cap guidelines for up to three consecutive seasons," according to Bossi & Gorman of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Documents show that Glory has "not declared a number of
payments or service agreements in their annual reporting" to the FFA. In the '12-13 financial year, at least
15 individual payments with a combined sum of A$50,602 ($41,500) to "several
football agents for transfers, contract negotiations and scouting were
not accounted for in the club's annual A-League player contract
register." The documents "also confirm Perth Glory had at least 18 cars on their
books" in the '13-14 season. At least half of those cars
were reportedly "used as an incentive to recruit and retain players who were
provided with vehicles for the duration of their time at the club but
were not included in the salary cap." The A-League salary cap regulations "stipulate that all third-party
service agreements must be declared to the FFA." These include motor
vehicles, "accommodation not including in relocation, sign-on fees,
performance bonuses, airfares, health insurance and player agent fees" (SMH, 12/17). Bossi & Gorman reported in a separate piece Perth "did not report any player accommodation to the FFA" for the '12-13 season. The following year the club declared "two foreign players received club accommodation accounting to a combined sum" of A$48,000 but "omitted one other." The club declared "relocation fees for others approved by the FFA and exempted from the salary cap that season." A-League CEO Damien de Bohun said, "FFA has no current concerns about Perth Glory's salary cap compliance, but we will always investigate any credible information provided to us about the operation of the salary cap" (SMH, 12/16).
