The Matildas’ two-match series in the United States to face the Women’s World Cup champions has been called off as negotiations continue to stall over a new collective bargaining agreement.
Professional Footballers’ Australia (PFA) said the tour was scrapped late on Wednesday afternoon following a meeting of Matildas’ players, a day after they had refused to show up at a Sydney practice session.
PFA chief executive Adam Vivian informed Football Federation Australia (FFA) of the players’ decision immediately after the meeting.
“The players are currently uncontracted and are under no obligation to participate in any Matildas-related activities,” said Vivian.
“The players feel they have been left with no option other than to take this course of action. They were hopeful that FFA’s position would alter following yesterday’s breakdown in negotiations. However, the interim letter agreement offered to the players this afternoon, with a 6pm deadline, proved this had not been the case.
“As a result, the players rejected FFA’s proposal for the tour, which would not have provided the requisite a high-performance environment; failed to fairly remunerate them for the work they were being asked to undertake; and provided them with no contractual certainty following the conclusion of the tour.
“The offer from FFA was simply unacceptable. The players’ stance will not change until a new agreement is reached,” Vivian said.
The national men’s team is also angry over stalled pay talks in the past week, the Socceroos declining to be involved in commercial events.
“The A-League and Socceroos players have also expressed their full support for the Matildas in their pursuit of a deal that respects their contribution to the game,” Vivian added.
Before the Matildas’ announcement, FFA head David Gallop had already admitted it looked unlikely the matches would go ahead.
He said FFA wanted to see pay improve but it had to keep rises affordable.
“We’ve invested a lot in their program in the last year to prepare them for Canada and the World Cup.
“Now we’ve provided an opportunity for them to play the world champions, 60,000 tickets have been sold.
“Yes, we would love to pay them more but, unannounced, fresh demands yesterday is no way to go about it.”
He said the Matildas’ requests included 11th-hour flight upgrades and accommodation for their US tour.
It’s understood the current deal on the table improves the Matildas’ base pay from $21,000 annually to more than $33,000 by the end of the four-year agreement.
Ironically on Tuesday when the Matildas hoped to see Gallop, he was due at Valentine Park for another engagement – the same place where Matildas coach Alen Stajcic was left waiting for a team that never arrived.
A PFA spokesperson refuted the suggestion they made new demands on Tuesday, suggesting their requests were long-standing.
The collective bargaining agreement for Socceroos, Matildas and A-League players expired in July.
It remains to be seen whether a player strike could reach the A-League, which begins on October 8.
Gallop said while he wasn’t expecting the season to be disrupted, he wasn’t “100 per cent confident” it would be unaffected.
He said the A-League could begin while pay negotiations continued, with player protection included in league regulations and player contracts.
Separately on Wednesday, A-League clubs also attacked the pay claims.
Sydney FC chairman Scott Barlow called them “unaffordable and plainly irresponsible”.
“The PFA has lost all sense of perspective with this latest round of demands.
“Today the majority of A-League clubs are still losing money … we cannot afford to see clubs go broke.”
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