- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Western Sydney will compete in the FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco after club officials claimed to have reached an agreement with disgruntled players in their pay dispute.
The players had threatened to boycott the Wanderers’ opening match against Mexican club Cruz Azul on Saturday, unhappy at being offered only a 10 per cent share of the $1.2 minimum prize money for participating in the tournament.
However the club released a statement on Thursday claiming a resolution had been reached, though it did not reveal details of the new arrangement.
“The club and players are united in their focus to proudly represent their members, sponsors, the Western Sydney community and Australian football as a whole in the FIFA Club World Club in Morocco,” the statement read.
“The terms of resolution will remain confidential and no further comment will be made in relation to this matter by either party.”
It came after Wanderers players on Wednesday vowed to stick to their guns despite being desperate to play in a match that could lead to a “once in a lifetime” showdown with football superpowers Real Madrid.
There was little evidence to suggest the controversy was affecting team preparations as coach Tony Popovic oversaw a training session lasting more than two hours and captain Nikolai Topor-Stanley commended the attitude shown by the squad.
“It’s not ideal, but this is football. It constantly throws challenges your way,” Topor-Stanley told reporters in Rabat.
“You have to deal with it with solidarity, which is I think what we’re doing.
“Everyone’s on the same page here, everyone’s together so I haven’t had to do anything special.
“That’s something that’s been part of this group from day one, we’ve overcome a lot of adversity at every step of the way, and we’ll continue to do so.”
Topor-Stanley said the players were excited at the prospect of facing a team they’d idolised since they were young.
“But at the same time this is an issue that we feel very strongly about as a group,” he said.
Under the initial offer, the Wanderers players stood to receive about $2500 each after tax if they lost to the North/Central American champions.
They would have received a bigger share of increased prize money should they progress but the players felt the payment model was grossly unfair and were seeking a 50 per cent share for the first game.
The Wanderers are long outsiders to beat Cruz Azul, who have also started preparations in Rabat.
The Asian Champions are winless after the opening nine rounds of the A-League but believe the buzz created from the prestigious event can help them bounce back – and reverse their domestic fortunes.
“It (this tournament) is a welcome change and I think we needed it,” Topor-Stanley said.
Cruz Azul believe they have a team capable of winning the entire tournament but Wanderers keeper Ante Covic expects they will show plenty of respect.
“I think a lot of people stood up and took notice of us in the ACL campaign,” Covic said.
“This so-called small team from Australia, going all the way, people are going to have an eye on it.”
The Wanderers can take inspiration from New Zealand neighbours Auckland City, who upset local champions Moghreb Tetouan on penalties in the tournament opener on Wednesday.
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.