Australia's football players union has "descended into civil war," with players at half of the A-League’s clubs "demanding the removal of its chief executive," according to Tom Smithies of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. A motion of no confidence in CEO Adam Vivian "has been put forward and signed by the players at five of the 10 A-League clubs, while players at six clubs have refused to submit membership forms for the union (PFA)." The motion "demands an extraordinary general meeting" at which the players will instruct the Professional Footballers’ Association exec to remove Vivian. But it is believed that Vivian "retains the support of many executive members, putting the union’s membership on a collision course with its leaders just weeks after a collective pay deal (CBA) was finally agreed with Football Federation Australia." A number of grievances were listed, including the level of communication during the "lengthy" negotiations over the CBA, and "the way the union has been run under Vivian's leadership." One player said, "It's not the content of the CBA, it's the way they went about it. It feels like we're told what's good for us, rather than the leadership representing what we feel." Under the rules of the PFA, a general meeting has to be held if only 5 percent of its members call for one in writing, "though it remains unclear from the PFA rules whether a motion of no confidence would be binding on the executive" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 1/11).
