Glory halt court action against FFA

Lionheart "It's a separate issue" No. They are inextricably linked. Yes Perth broke the rules, and they shouldn't have, there's no doubting that. But to think that this shouldn't ignite debate about (and justifiably cause people to bring into question) a controversial system that runs against the global norm of how a football league is administrated seems odd to me.. If anything it's the perfect opportunity to debate the negatives of a (ridiculously low and stifling) salary cap. I think that's one thing we can thank glory for. Basically it highlights the low salary cap and that it's high time it was significantly raised. Anyway as nordster states, nailed it actually, Perths performance had improved and they leveled the playing field by becoming contenders ("as far as an even spread of potential winners go") through breaking the rules..it sounds paradoxical but it's true. Steve I thoroughly enjoyed your posts on that thread you're talking about re the flaws in the current model. Made 100% sense to me. I vote Steve and nordster replace gallop and debohun haha

I agree, you shouldn't be allowed to go over the Salary Cap to qualify for the finals and the ACL, and then reduce dramatically right at the very end of the season.

Ozzie Rules, There certainly is more than 'zero' interest in the Kangaroos in Australia. But well done on having those TV figures at hand. Funny as the tournament you quoted is a clear example of the opportunities RL provides over its main rival AFL. Socceroos are bigger than their RL counterparts, but doesnt mean the Kangaroos have no interest in oz

it's not about total payment it's about salary cap total payment is not relevant in the argument about salary cap The reason for the salary cap is not relevant to the argument The cap is a $ amount It's finite, and can not be breached other arguments about highest spending clubs and even playing fields are irrelevant Good luck to you. Why not write an article to argue the case to get rid of the salary cap? That's a separate issue.

Doubtful it's a solid arguement although that never stops a lawyer playing to win; as I understand it they've been over for each of the three last seasons including this one, this season they have taken drastic steps to cut expenditure admittedly but then they have to explain illegal payments eg only half of Keoghs salary bring declared and the other half being paid to two separate family members. Furthermore there is non-cooperation with the FFA which in itself is not a crime but rather defeats the argument of "whoops, we stuffed up just give us a week to sort it out". So I would say they are so guilty as charged they're lucky to get away with such a light penalty.

I just commented on something similar mate. People equate breaking rules with cheating, which is not necessarily the case. To understand vwhat cheating vis in this context, you need to understand cruel intention of the salary cap and whether the current model serves this intention. I too believe there are flaws.

I find it frustrating that people use breaking the rules with cheating. The Glory broke the rules, there seems little doubt. Did they cheat though? That is a question which fundamentally goes to the spirit of the cap, and whether the model reflects that spirit. I have given numerous examples on other threads to show that the current model does not necessarily achieve is desired outcome. For those who can't tell the difference between cheating and breaking the rules, let me draw upon an analogy from swimming. It is illegal to interfere with other competitors in a relay. That is quite obviously cheating. However it is also illegal for any member to jump in the pool before all competitors have finished. So if one team is way behind and all other teams have finished, it is illegal for the winning team to jump in and celebrate in their lane. That in fact happened to the Aussie girls a while back. However, it is arguable thhat they cheated. They broke the rules, sure, but cheated? The point is breaking the rules an cheating, while often the same, are not in fact synonymous.

No you're missing my point....i agree they have breached the salary cap.... But the underlying reason for the salary cap is the pursuit of this 'even playing field'... So the breach is logically flawed on the basis of the spirit of the cap, because: a) they dont have the highest spend in the league when *all* payments and inducements are included; and b) their breach has improved their performance relative to previous seasons, thus 'levelling the playing field' as far as an even spread of potential winners go. Thus Daisy and Klipp klopp should give Tony and co a gold star;)

I just said I ranked them last?

I'd say Australia getting back in the top 50 would be a better boost than making the next World Cup (which is actually expected of us now). Just be happy you aren't in the purgatory that is Australian basketball. You know there's trouble when a team in Brisbane is unsustainable. You're right about coverage as well. I remember not too long you'd hear more about the A-League from the NRL footy show and the Sunday RL shows than you'd hear or read from the news outlet sports sections. Best thing the FFA ever did though was make it a summer sport.

I think you still miss the point nordster. Perth Glory is alleged to have breached the salary cap. Marquee players are not part of the salary cap. Anything else said about total payments which include payments to marquee players, is irrelevant to the story about Perth Glory. It's about the salary cap. Not the salary cap plus this and that, and marquee payments. Your argument that we don't need a salary cap is irrelevant. We do have one. And it's alleged to have been breached.

You're kidding if you think the Aussie public has any interest in the RL national team. Even RL fans have no interest in the RL national team. At the 2013 RL WC (which was hosted by the old enemy in England and Australia was the favourite and ended up winning) the TV ratings for the Kangaroos WC matches were awful. All matches were broadcast live on Nine Network. AUS v England = 159k (opening match against the host nation and arch rival in sport) AUS vs Fiji = 42k AUS vs Ireland = 99k AUS vs USA = 132k (Quarter Final) AUS vs Fiji = 71k (Semi Final!!) AUS vs NZ = 301k (Grand Final to be crowned RL World Champs) Even RL fans don't watch the Australian RL National Team. You're kidding yourself if you think non-RL fans give a stuff.

Thanks Will, and I agree that the national team is doing well. Come the next WC, hopefully they'll be even higher, But that's a different aspect to the A League. We get occasional good crowds, but well below AFL and NRL. Coverage in the media is pathetic in comparison to the other codes. If you don't watch pay TV you'd not hear much about the A League. But it's growing, for sure.

Actually the existence of cap exempt players in a soft cap is my whole point. When u add those to the base wage spend inside the cap, the Glory are not the highest spending team. So they are hardly in breach of the spirit of this mythical even playing field....in fact given they have been rubbish in recent seasons, they are actually reinforcing it as the cap breach has allowed them to contend for the title. :) As far as an open system goes, football fans here are very comfortable with those types of leagues around the world. They also seem to be losing a bit of their appetite for the a league as well. So maybe the closed shop ecosystem of the HAL....capped, no pro rel, same teams ....is losing its appeal anyway.

I don't think soccer is as low as everyone thinks in terms of being a major player in Australian sport. I'd put it 3rd in the football codes ahead of Union (arguable but I think the argument would stand) and 4th overall once you bring in what's really the only major non football sport in cricket. In terms of the national team I'd rank the Socceroos 3rd. Wallabies would be 2nd with the cricket team 1st. They pip the Kangaroos for my mind due to the fact we don't have any opposition other than England and NZ. Something that limits their importance. Still better than the AFLs international season.

Hold on why would they want to delay anything? Right now they're out of the finals. If they keep delaying then nothing changes. Perth should be trying to get this sorted asap.

You totally ignore the marquee players, and include them in your calculations. You've got to put them aside, and realise their purpose is different to the other salaries paid. Also, you should acknowledge that this fledgling competition would be very unlikely to survive if it didn't have the salary cap. Maybe if soccer becomes a major sport in Australia, which we all hope it will, an open salary system would work, but not yet.

Oh i dont deny at all that its a 'more even playing field than other football competitions' ....in fact thats the weakness of the league from a competitive standpoint. The measure of any football league around the world is by the standard of the best teams, not by the median average, or how many different winners there are. You're talking about what u perceive to be the most even competition, which is a different thing entirely to having a league with the best possible quality teams at the top of the pyramid. The absurdity of this cap breach is that they are not even the highest paying team in the league. In fact they may not even be paying the highest amount compared to their other seasons. So its a compliance breach based on the allowable expenditures in each wage spend category. And not at all a breach of the spirit of the (flawed) level playing field. The moment u have this soft cap, you no longer really have an even playing field anyway.

You wonder where they going with this. Do they want to delay proceedings to see if they can win the A-League, figuring that it's better to have the title taken of them than to get relegated to seventh before the finals start.

Not to mention Sydney, Melbourne Victory, Newcastle, Brisbane, Central Coast have all won grand finals - so all up 7 trophy winners in 9 years.