A-League season starts in Australia at risk due to referees’ strike — ABC News Australia
In Australia, the start of the men’s and women’s A-League football seasons, scheduled for mid-October, is under threat due to a strike by the country’s leading referees. They stopped officiating matches on September 4, protesting against changes to the professional refereeing structure proposed by Football Australia, ABC News Australia reports.
Contract dispute
Football Australia proposes that referees sign contracts directly with the Australian Professional Leagues, which runs the A-League, rather than with the national football federation. Previously, Football Australia provided the league with referees, while the APL reimbursed those costs.
Under the new scheme, Football Australia plans to pay only for matches in tournaments under its authority: the Australia Cup and the Australian Championship. The organisation said that direct funding of referees for A-League competitions is the APL’s responsibility under the contract between the parties.
The Professional Football Referees Association, PFRA, considers this model unacceptable. It said that referees’ contracts directly with the league could create a potential conflict of interest, as clubs would effectively be their employers. The association advocates for the creation of an independent refereeing body similar to England’s Pro Ref, formerly known as PGMOL. Football Australia said its proposal does not create issues for the integrity of competitions and complies with FIFA rules.
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Impact on matches
The strike has already affected the Australia Cup: for the September 9 semi-final between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory, Football Australia brought in four referees from Singapore. The other semi-final, between South Melbourne and Lions FC, was officiated by young Australian referee Rowan Fisher, who has no A-League experience.
The Australia Cup final between South Melbourne and Melbourne Victory, scheduled for October 10, is expected to take place because some referees have signed contracts with Football Australia. The second Australian Championship season, starting on October 15, is also not considered at risk. At the same time, there are currently no guarantees that matches in the men’s and women’s A-League, due to begin that same weekend, will be held.
Referees’ position
PFRA president Yevhenii Vizelman said that association members are demanding certainty regarding employment, payment of outstanding amounts, and a sustainable professional refereeing structure. According to him, the referees want to return to work, but believe they must jointly secure proper treatment.
The PFRA also claimed that referees who worked at A-League clubs’ trial matches had not been paid their fees. Football Australia denied this and said it has no outstanding debts to referees.
