FFA, A-League players pay deal

Canberra: Sr A major obstacle to the resumption of the A-League season has been cleared, after players agreed to a pay deal with Football Federation Australia and club owners that is set to see them keep at least 95 per cent of their salaries.

The agreement, struck on Thursday afternoon, paves the way for the A-League to resume in mid July, with FFA awaiting the sign-off from broadcaster Foxtel, before confirming a 35-day hub to complete the season.

“All parties have worked together extremely hard behind the scenes to ensure the professional game is ready to resume,” FFA chief James Johnson said.

“We are now looking forward to the agreement of our broadcast partner, Fox Sports, to our fixture proposal and timings. That’s the final piece of the jigsaw and once we have it in place we can move forward quickly..without first negotiating a reduction on the broadcast deal.-SMH