Professional Footballers Australia - soccer's top players' union - has lashed radical proposals to change the A-League Men salary cap as "half-baked cost-cutting solutions" that would limit clubs' ability to recruit top-line players.
In a withering statement released late on Wednesday, the players' union unloaded on the Australian Professional Leagues (APL), describing the body which administers the ALM as being part "of a flawed governance model".
The APL has run the top-flight in Australia since unbundling from Football Australia in 2021.
Earlier on Wednesday, the APL had presented its proposals to clubs and the media.
Under the proposed APL changes there would be a hard cap of $3 million from the 2026/27 season onwards, which will be the first season in the next broadcast cycle.
Clubs would only be permitted one marquee signing and other concessions, such as for homegrown players, would be scrapped.
The move follows several years of cost-cutting after distributions for the current season dropped to just $530,000 per year.
The APL, who has yet to agree to a new broadcast deal or a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the PFA beyond next season, said the measures were designed to stop what chair Stephen Conroy described as "unsustainable".
"The implementation of these reforms over the coming years is designed to ensure a competitive balance and to build long-term foundations for growth that helps unlock the full revenue potential of each club," Conroy said.
But PFA chief executive Beau Busch, who penned a contract extension earlier this week said the proposal wasn't worth the paper it was written on.
"Simply put, the APL are unable to unilaterally impose these conditions on the players without their agreement, which has certainly not been provided," Busch said.
"There is a CBA in place for next season. Any changes would have to be agreed with the players, and until today, they haven't even been discussed.
"The framework beyond next season will be negotiated as part of a future CBA. Today's announcement is simply the APL negotiating with themselves."
Busch said the proposals showed the APL is not "on the right track".
He claimed the fact club owners and executives form a large part of the APL board, was part of a "flawed governance model".
"Club directors are always likely to find themselves conflicted between their club's short-term interests, and the game's long-term, strategic needs," Busch said.
"Because of previous decisions taken by APL, the league has a revenue problem.
"The players have always been reasonable negotiating partners, however they will not accept half-baked cost-cutting solutions while the same governance structure which got us here remains in place."
