As of Wednesday morning, "the collective bargaining agreement between Australia's professional footballers and game's governing body will expire -- and shows no signs of being renewed any time soon," according to Sebastian Hassett of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. While strike action by A-League players, the Socceroos and Matildas remains highly unlikely, their union, Professional Footballers Australia, "has baulked at the latest compromise offer tabled by Football Federation Australia." At the core of the disagreement "is how much the A-League salary cap will rise by in the coming seasons." The two parties "have, at least in recent months, refused to yield any ground." The PFA wants the players to receive 30% of the total game revenues from next season, while FFA has made it clear it will only provide the players with 30% of "any uplift in the next domestic broadcast rights deal." Given the next TV deal will not be formalized until '17, the players "would have to wait until then to see the salary cap boosted from its existing position" of A$2.55M ($2.9M). While FFA maintains paying 30% of total revenue -- a higher figure than the other codes -- is impossible as clubs continue to lose money, the PFA "is adamant most of those costs have been a result of maladministration." FFA said that it is "even ready to bypass the PFA" to implement its own set of conditions if required (SMH, 6/30).
