AUSSIE TOUR TO USA PAYS PRICE

AUSTRALIA’S two-match tour to take on world champions USA has been cancelled over a pay dispute with national governing body, the FFA.

The Matildas pulled out of a planned training camp in Sydney on Tuesday and have now confirmed they will not fulfil friendlies in Detroit and Birmingham later this month, for which 60,000 tickets had been sold.

The Australia players have been on six-month contracts, worth $10,500, but now want their rate of pay to better reflect their workload.

Professional Footballers Australia chief executive Adam Vivian said: “When their contracts were negotiated it was because it was on the premise that they were part-time, only 120 days a year they would have to work.

“Clearly, as we saw in the lead up to the Women’s World Cup, while it was fantastic that they had a full-time programme, the remuneration wasn’t. They ended up working 154 days in about six months and so they fall into that underpaid category very quickly.”

Meanwhile, Paul Riley is set to learn this month whether his contract as manager of Portland Thorns will be renewed.The Thorns, who include England striker Jodie Taylor, finished sixth in the National Women’s Soccer League this term, missing out on a play-off place for the first time.

And general manager Gavin Wilkinson said: “It’s a decision that we are evaluating.We had clear objectives over the last two seasons – especially this season – that need to be met, and also need to be met moving forward.”