A-League side Central Coast Mariners "have taken the extraordinary step of demanding their players hand over their mobile phone records" amid claims of "an integrity issue" among the group, according to Ray Gatt of THE AUSTRALIAN. It is understood concerns "have been raised by the coaching staff that the Mariners formation and team line-up were leaked to Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold" before the two teams met in a round four game in Gosford on Oct. 31. Mariners CEO Shaun Mielekamp said that the club had "asked the players to hand over their phone records and that most had complied with the request." However, "at least six or seven players are standing their ground" and have refused to comply with the request "despite being threatened with legal action." Mielekamp defended the club’s right to "ask for the players’ phone records." He said, "We are definitely wanting to put this to bed as quickly as we can and by having the phone records, it allows us to move forward." Professional Footballers Australia, however, "has raised concerns about the legality of the Mariners move" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 11/17).
