Australia’s Western Sydney Wanderers have resolved a pay dispute with players which threatened to see them boycott the FIFA Club World Cup, but said the terms were confidential.
The Asian champions left for Morocco earlier this week, despite not having worked out with the club how much they were to be paid for their efforts.
In a statement, the Wanderers said they had come to an agreement with the players over the allocation of prize money ahead of their first match today.
“The terms of resolution will remain confidential and no further comment will be made in relation to this matter by either party,” the statement, issued late on Thursday, said.
The dispute had revolved around how much players would receive in prize money, fees and bonuses from the Club World Cup being played in the North African nation.
The Professional Footballers’ Association had argued that the players were due 50 percent of the guaranteed minimum payment of US$1 million, given that they had won the AFC Champions League.
The association said the club had only wanted to give the players 10 percent, something it said was “a percentage without precedence.”
However, the Wanderers said that the players’ earnings would “not be limited to 10 percent,” adding that if they won their opening match they could collectively earn more than A$600,000 (US$496,000).
The Wanderers, who are struggling in the domestic A-League, are scheduled to play their first Club World Cup game against CONCACAF champions Cruz Azul of Mexico today.
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