Stunning revelations from the world of Australian soccer today, with Football Federation Australia announcing that due to being found guilty of salary cap breaches, Hyundai A-League side Perth Glory will be excluded from this year’s finals series, due to begin in May.
The Glory were found to have exceeded the A-League’s $2.55million salary cap by $400,000.
With three rounds remaining in the regular season, the Glory currently sit in second place on the ladder, equal on points with top placed Melbourne Victory. But when the regular season draws to a close they will be officially ruled to have finished seventh, one spot out of the finals, no matter what happens in the remaining three games.
The FFA also levelled a $269,000 fine against the Glory.
The team was found to have deliberately withheld the disclosure of payments and benefits made to at least six players over the course of the past two seasons. The club now has seven business days to lodge an appeal against the decision, if they choose to do so.
The unceremonious booting means that the Brisbane Roar, currently sitting in seventh position, will likely end up being elevated into the finals – not at all unlike Carlton in the AFL two years ago, who benefitted from Essendon being excluded from the 2013 finals series.
Photo: Tony Feder via Getty Images.
