All those who yearn for a domestic transfer system that would bring the A-League in line with most countries in the world ought to know that it is basically a pipe dream because two of the game’s main stakeholders are not rowing in the same direction on this issue.

UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
BY PHILIP MICALLEF

Transfers make the football world go round and it is about time Football Federation Australia and/or the A-League allow clubs to sell and buy players that are under contract.

At the moment A-League players can only be sold to foreign clubs and it appears this unsatisfactory state of affairs is not going to change any time soon.

The clubs want a system that enables them to be compensated financially for letting go of a contracted player after developing him from within or acquiring him from elsewhere.

At the moment if a player wants to change clubs he needs to get his contract terminated by mutual consent before going anywhere for free.

A case in point is Brisbane Roar's signing last week of striker Scott McDonald, who started the season with Western United but fell out with the new club and was released.

Australia’s powerful players’ union, however, will not be party to a domestic transfer system as long as the A-League salary cap is still in operation.

So the bottom line seems to be that if the clubs want a transfer system that would satisfy everybody’s interests they should first free themselves of the salary cap.

This is not as straight-forward as that because negotiations between FFA and the A-League over the competition’s independence are still in progress.

It is unknown at this stage where the line will be drawn in terms of the A-League’s rights and responsibilities although it is assumed that the clubs will have the power to get rid of the cap should they agree to do so.

The problem is that although some clubs would like to abolish the salary cap it is understood the majority want it to stay.

Most claim that a carte blanche to the wealthier clubs would widen the competitive gap between the haves and have nots and that the league’s economic stability is essential before such a bold move could be initiated. 

"The cap’s removal would be the only way Professional Footballers Australia would entertain the idea of domestic transfers"

“Historically, most specifically through the 1990s, the transfer system was dismantled effectively at the direction of the courts and the government after successive cases and inquiries found its operation was corrupted and it provided no tangible or meaningful benefit to any stakeholder,” PFA chief executive John Didulica says.

“In the current context, a salary cap and transfer system are entirely incompatible. It provides no strategic redistributive effect and will only worsen what’s left of any competitive balance. From a player’s perspective, another barrier is placed in the player’s freedom of movement yet the salary cap means there is no reciprocal capacity for wage growth – so it would be entirely illogical to support it.

“Moreover, the tidal wave of calls for a loan system has resulted in a grand total of one loan over the two years it has been in place. And that was a player going from the team that finished bottom to the team that finished on top – totally contrary to what people’s perception of what player loans would achieve.

“In speaking with the players, our position is clear – that if the salary cap were to be abolished then we would be open to discussing the introduction of a transfer system.”

You suspect that the PFA contends that if a club has any money to spend it should use it on its own players not on another club.

Whether the union’s attitude towards transfers or the clubs’ reluctance to dump the salary cap are in the best interests of the game remains to be seen.

It is important that the stalemate is brought to an end.

Life was not meant to be easy, they say, and Australian football with all its complex politics and perplexing complications is a prime example.

Follow @MicallefPhilip


https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/a-league-transfers-won-t-happen-unless-salary-cap-goes

Australian football when they promise so much when they offer so little in return...

Even if the cap was scrapped and a proper transfer compensation system was introduced, there is still the issue of incentives (or lack there of) to spend money. Clubs all have budgets and every club (except MV) typically runs at a loss. There is no prize money and no risk of relegation, which means there is not a whole lot of reason to spend huge amounts of money. If we look at Scott McDonald, he was transferred to Roar without a transfer fee. If however we had a transfer system and the Roar had to pay a transfer fee to get him, would they do still do it? I think it's much less likely that they would. I reckon clubs would be far more likely to promote a youngster than pay a transfer fee. Under that system, a player is only worth paying a fee for if the club knows they will be able to on sell that player to an international club and make a profit or at least get some money back.

In McDonalds case, I think it still would have resulted in some sort of termination, although it may be more likely to see clubs pay out the contract as there wouldn't be any cap consequences. No one is going to pay a transfer fee for him at his age but getting a want-away player out of the club asap would still be preferable. 

I guess, it all depends on the fee. Not sure what his WU contract was, but if he still had a year and a half to go, there is no way another HAL club would pay that out.

If the NSD ever happens, that is where I see transfer fees being the most vital. There will be a lot of young players going from the NSD to the HAL and it will be a vital source of income for the NSD clubs.

"The half arsed, rigged and broken system set in place didn't work, so we definitely shouldn't try doing it the way it works everywhere else."

If you ever want to cash in on the Asian and European transfer market, the cap has to go, it's that simple. TV revenue isn't going to keep growing so the only option is to become a selling and buying league. This will put the onus on developing players and will have the effect of improving the league and national team, then we might start to see TV revenue growth again.

get rid of the bloody thing. let the creme rise to the top

the other missing piece of the jigsaw is the short term contracts most players are on, maybe that will resolve itself if the cap is scrapped and a transfer system is introduced, I don't know, but as things stand, right now many players have less than half a season left on their contracts, they can all walk at the end of the season

we all agree on this board, well, most would, but it looks like a good chunk of clubs want the cap (I'm guessing its clubs like the Mariners, Jets, etc )

Australia will lose control of the League very quickly!

The Cap cant go until we have promotion/relegation.
At least at the moment there is some semblance of competitivity.
A totally lopsided competition where perpetual losers sit at the bottom of the league will kill off what is left of the league.

LOL

Its the greedy NPL clubs pushing for this, fk em! It stays as it is. If there where fees then players wouldn't be signed simple as.

Doubt we would be able to compete with China in Asia for transfers. Only selling point in aus is the lifestyle. 

And this is the reason the likes of Castro, Borich, Ninkovic etc have come down under. 

Clubs need better scouting etc but probably too much $$$$

so we are gonna let the minorities rule us? nah fuck what they think

Melbourne clubs need to sell their "coffee scene", Brisbane to sell the "good weather and beaches scene" and Perth to sell the idea of "Bali holidays on long weekends" to foreign players 😂.

But honestly, clubs in Australia should look at promoting the lifestyle to overseas players. It's one of the only advantages we have at the moment over the richer Asian leagues. 

I'm sure that's exactly what the clubs are already are doing. I reckon they also like to mention that a growing number of international players have become Australian citizens after playing here for only a few years. 

Greedy? The npl clubs only get 3k  per player. 

China implemented a cap on transfers  anything over 10 mil gets taxed

Wasn't aware of that. But still alot better than what we've got. 

im willing to bet that the taxes would be worth more than the entire a-league

So who would be the clubs 'for' keeping (the cap), and those who would be 'against' keeping (the cap)??

Lol the clubs are complaining about the 'rich' teams running away with the competition, whilst Sydney currently maintain an 8 point gap over second with a game in hand under current salary cap rules - last season, Perth won it with an 8 point gap over second and the season before that, Sydney won the title with a 14 point gap over second...

The last close season was 15/16 when Adelaide did the double - I can't remember what's changed since then, but it's been a whitewash in the league ever since.

But no, the salary cap ensures everyone has a fair chance of winning the title...

but are they the minorities, might be everyone except for the four big Syd/Melb clubs

The csl  had no say in the matter.  The chinese government made the changes because of the lack of betterment for the national teams.  And the fact the foreigners who go to china usually end up back  in europe in no time 

isnt Perth and Newcastle foreign owned by billionaires? should also mention that western united and macarthur are pretty loaded with cash too.

Perth are owned by a Perth millionaire Tony Sage who has said he will have to find partners to be able to invest more in the club and Newcastle is owned by a Chines businessman who owns Ledman and they have lost heaps because of Trumps tariff war.  I think the Jets are open to offers.

I'm not sure how much Walker is prepared to put in to Macarthur but he is worth $2.9b.

Maybe we need to introduce a soft salary cap like the NBL/NBA with a luxury tax.

That enables clubs, if they can afford it, to spend whatever they want but with any amount above the cap being subjected to a Salary Equalisation Subsidy, or ‘luxury tax’.It’s a system that sees the funds generated by that tax distributed to teams which may otherwise find it difficult to meet the cap.

 Helping big teams grow and become more competitive in the ACL while also helping the smaller clubs out to grow with additional revenue.

So… if a club spends over the cap by 1-15% they pay 25 cents of luxury tax for every dollar they exceed the cap. If the percentage spend is 16-30% over, they pay 50 cents on each extra dollar. That rises to $1 for every $1 over if they exceed the cap by 31-50% and finally, the tax is $1.50 for every $1 spent over the cap if the percentage spend is over 50% above.