The A-League’s second team to bench players due to financial strain caused by the coronavirus outbreak is Central Coast Mariners.
Professional Footballers Australia declared on Tuesday that they had verified with the Gosford-based team that the players who were given notice to step down had been notified.
The PFA has demanded in writing that the players be added back to the Mariners immediately.
Last Saturday, Perth Glory became the first team to suspend its players.
Perth Glory may suffer greatly as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, as the Sunday Times reports the team is in danger of failing.
Club owner Tony Sage, who was already having financial difficulties, was compelled to put his entire playing roster and a few employees on leave without pay last week.
The story also raises doubts about Glory’s ability to play out the entire season given the A-League’s prolonged suspension.
This season was supposed to be historic for the team since they participated in the Asian Champions League for the first time, following their victory in the Premiers Plate the previous year.
Right now, it might stick in your memory for the wrong reasons.
Despite two confirmed instances of coronavirus this week, James Johnson, the chief executive of Football Federation Australia (FFA), justified the decision to suspend the A-League season.
Due to the coronavirus epidemic, the Australian league that remained unbeaten, the A-League, suspended its season on Tuesday.
However, it was verified on Saturday that a Wellington Phoenix employee and a player for the Newcastle Jets had tested positive for COVID-19.
Despite the two incidents that surfaced a few days later, Johnson said the A-League was terminated at the appropriate moment.
I usually think you come pretty close to the right answer when you follow an evidence-based, highly consultative decision-making process,” he said to Fox Sports on Sunday.
“All A-League clubs unanimously supported the decision to cancel or suspend the competition, and the players’ union was closely consulted in order to make the best option for the players. We did come to a pretty cohesive decision, something we haven’t really seen in the sport in a while.
“I believe that we arrived at the appropriate time for the league to be suspended and closed.
Unfortunately, there have been a few occurrences of the virus while the league was stopped. Wellington and Newcastle have both notified us of these cases, and the league is following all government requirements by taking all necessary action. Currently, they’re working to learn more about the specifics of who the players interacted with and how the virus might have gotten into them. This is what’s happening right now.
“At FFA, we’re working to make sure that the administrator and the gamer who became infected with the virus get all the help they require during these challenging times.
