Perth Glory $alary Cap $aga
Rule One of Perth Glory Football Club: You do not talk about the salary cap.
Rule Two of Perth Glory Football Club: You DO NOT talk about the salary cap.
Rule Three: Take every opportunity to heap more misery on your fans.
Up until about 4.30PM on Wednesday, this weekly wrap was going to be a semi-positive piece, about how Perth Glory had finally ended their winless run with a last-gasp winner against Western Sydney. Then, I saw the news: the FFA had issued the club with a second show-cause notice, relating to their investigation of the Glory’s salary cap.
The second show cause noticed issued to the club (following on from the first, issued in December), asked them to respond to issues such as payments to a player’s family, payment of player agent fees and payment of third-party sponsorship, amongst others. If the club is found guilty, they face the possibility of being stripped of league points.
All of Perth’s hard work could be undone if it is proven they rorted the salary cap. Everything we’ve accomplished, being involved in the race for the minor premiership, locking in a finals berth, could turn to dust if the club is found guilty. Of course, Perth fans are used to being let down by the club. It’s been a constant of the Glory since the start of the A-League, almost expected of it. The club song should be changed from Steve Armstrong’s wonderful version of Battle Hymn of the Republic, to Green Day’s Basket Case.
To any Perth Glory fans out there who believe this is part of an FFA agenda against us, that this is nothing but an Eastern States conspiracy, a hatchet job by a couple of journalists, please, look at the facts in front of you.
The fact is, if found guilty, the club has let down the fans down more than ever.
There is no excuse for cheating. Ever. It’s sickening that it’s entirely possible the club thought they could get around the salary cap and bring success to the club. Cheaters never prosper. Winning a title would have meant nothing if it also meant having an asterisks next to it.
People wonder why Perth’s crowds have dropped since the giddy heights of the NSL. Part of it is down to a fickle sporting landscape; but part of it lies with those running the club. Every season it seems like there’s a new controversy out west. And it’s nearly always off-field.
Perth used to be the top dog in Australia. Now, they are staring down the barrel of possibly finishing the season with a pathetic 3 finals appearances in 10 seasons. In a league where over half the teams make the finals every year, it’s simply not good enough.
There is something not quite right with the way Tony Sage was straight on the front foot, distancing himself from the mess. It’s unsettling he was so quick to tell The World Game that CEO Jason Brewer (a friend of Sage’s who is also on the board at Sage’s Cape Lambert company) would be sacked if the club was found guilty. Maybe Brewer is the villain; but we don’t know yet, and Sage being so quick to make a scapegoat out of him feels like an attempt to save his own skin.
The cheerleaders will tell you Sage has been brilliant since he took over, his passion a breath of fresh air. But really, the club has made lots of mistakes since he took over. Some aren’t his fault, but some are. He many have had nothing to do with this whatsoever, but this latest drama is just the most recent in a long list of negative incidents which have occurred during his tenure as owner.
Of course, there’s a chance nothing comes of this. There’s a chance the FFA are satisfied with the Glory’s excuses for not declaring significant expenses in their salary cap. There’s a chance Perth are only docked a few points, which will allow them to still play finals football. There’s a chance they only escape with the fine. Come on though. This is the Glory. Fans of the club have learnt to expect bad news.
The problem is, how do we stop this?
If outcry against Sage becomes too much for him and he decides to sell, it may be a while before we find a buyer. And who is to guarantee we’ll be better off with a new owner, who could be the second coming of Clive Palmer? And if Sage stays on, Perth risks being stuck in this cycle of ineptitude and failure.
My advice for any Glory reading this?
