Football: Five A-League clubs owing money to players

The Central Coast Mariners are said to have several financial difficulties. Photo / Getty

Professional Footballers Australia is set to ramp up pressure on five A-League clubs owing money to players, reminding them to pay up by the end of the year or face the possibility of player walkouts, transfer embargoes or points deductions.

It's understood the PFA will write to the clubs on Thursday in an attempt to force payment by January 1, which was agreed to as part of the new collective bargaining agreement ratified by the union and Football Federation Australia earlier this year.

The five clubs are the Central Coast Mariners, Brisbane Roar, Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory and Adelaide United. The outstanding entitlements differ from club to club but include superannuation, match payments, bonuses and transfer fees.

The Mariners are the biggest concern as some players haven't received superannuation payments since the first quarter of 2013.

None of their players have provided written notice to the club yet, despite reports that as many as five are looking to leave next month. However, any player whose entitlements have not been paid fully can put their club on notice at any time, giving the franchise a mandatory 14 days to remedy the situation.

If the situation is not resolved the player is then able to terminate their contract.

The new CBA also allows for new sporting sanctions, which include transfer embargoes and points deductions, to be imposed.

From January 1, a club will have two days to pay after being put on notice or they will be immediately barred from signing new players.

After seven days, a suspended points deduction of four points will be triggered, with the points to be taken off clubs after 14 days of non-payment.

The PFA chose to make its move as Thursday marks exactly 14 days out from the end of the year. But it is ultimately up to the player, not the PFA, to put a club on notice.

The Roar, owned by Indonesian conglomerate the Bakrie Group, lost the services of midfielder Luke Brattan earlier this year because of what was believed to be only a small amount of unpaid super.

There is a chance Brisbane's debts to players won't be settled by the deadline as the club continues to work through a complicated financial mess left by the previous administration.

It's also unclear if Football Federation Australia, who now own Newcastle, can legally pay super debts owed by a previous employer.

However, the PFA is confident that the four clubs aside from the Mariners will meet their obligations on time.

- AAP