Macarthur chief executive Sam Krslovic says Australian clubs risk missing out on big paydays in Asia because of league bosses refusing to be more flexible with scheduling.
The Bulls face one of the most gruelling travel itineraries in round two of the A-League Men when they will be asked to back up away to the Central Coast Mariners on October 29, less than 30 hours after getting off a plane from an AFC Cup match in Cambodia.
Macarthur, who entered Asia’s second-tier tournament for the first time this year, are locked in a battle with Cambodian outfit Phnom Penh Crown FC to get into the competition’s latter stages, where prize money ramps up.
The Bulls are scheduled to play the Cambodian outfit on October 26 and leave the following morning.
Owing to flight schedules and time zones, they would then have to catch an overnight flight via Singapore to land back in Sydney the day before their clash with the Mariners.
Krslovic has pleaded with the Australian Professional Leagues to rearrange the fixture, but says those calls have fallen on deaf ears.
“It’s a big ask for players in this day and age to do a red-eye flight home and then back up 30 hours later,” he told AAP.
“As a club, we’ll be careful who we send, but it clearly disadvantages us from a player perspective.
“I get the league scheduling with broadcasters, but the other component is the rivers of gold that are coming from the Asian Champions League.
“We’ve got to get our co-efficient up as a country as well, which is ultimately going to help prize money flow down to here.”
The Mariners are also competing in the AFC Cup and will face similar headaches when they travel away to face Bali United in November.
A-Leagues commissioner Nick Garcia said the league would always try to be flexible for clubs, but he held no concerns over player welfare, saying the scheduling met the criteria set by the players’ union, Professional Footballers Australia (PFA).
“We always do a rework of the draw,” Garcia said.
“What you've talked about is the kind of landing time to kick-off, but the way the PFA look at this, it’s all about whistle to whistle, and with that we’re in that space.
“Right now, there isn't a plan to move it, but there are still discussions ongoing.”
