Australia PFA boss warns clubs over stand down measures

With the A-League season suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, Perth Glory and Central Coast Mariners have issued stand-down notices to all their players.

Media reports said Adelaide United and Western Sydney Wanderers had taken similar actions.

"We will continue to fight for the players who have been dumped and preserve their legal rights, including challenging the stand down notices and, where instructed, seek free agency on the basis of this breach of contract," Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) chief executive Didulica said in a statement http://pfa.net.au/news/pfa-statement-3 on Wednesday.

"We have significant concerns about the impact the decisions of club owners are having on the wellbeing of our members, many of whom now face long term unemployment.

"It is entirely unnecessary for club owners to place their players in this situation when there is an alternative option – which is for the sport to work together – as we've seen across other mature and sophisticated sports."

Rival football codes the Australian Football League and National Rugby League have both tried to work out wage agreements with their players.

Australian rules players, whose season was stopped after only one round of matches, have agreed to a 50 to 70% reduction in payments depending on how long the suspension continues.

The NRL, the dominant professional code in Australia's eastern states, hopes to reach a deal with players by the end of the week.

(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford )