SA Footy

An Adelaide Footy League club is set to be hit with the biggest fine in SA sporting history for breaches of salary cap.

Sources close to The Advertiser have confirmed division three Adelaide Footy League club Gaza will be charged with systematic breaches of salary cap dating as far back as season 2018 and fined $350,000 by the SANFL.

It is also understood club president Don Rosella will be handed a suspension of 10 years, while club chairman Brett Pavils and football director Renato Tudorovic have each been suspended for three years.

The six-figure fine could be the biggest in SA sports history and may threaten Gaza’s future as a community club.

The penalty would be $50,000 more than Adelaide’s $300,000 fine for salary cap breaches involving Kurt Tippett in 2012, and $250,000 more than the $100,000 fine Port Adelaide recently received for failing to adhere to AFL concussion protocols.

Charges for breaches of Player Payment Salary Cap will be laid by SANFL after an extensive investigation dating back to May.

Under the SANFL’s latest Community Football Rules and Regulations, local suburban clubs are not to exceed a total amount of $2500 in player payments each week.

Clubs can also not exceed payment of $500 to a player per match, while coaches cannot be paid more than $20,000 a season.

Upfront or sign-on payments are not allowed.

Punishments for breaches of player payment regulations can include fines, deduction of premiership points for clubs and suspension from multiple games for individual players or club members.

Gaza’s last A Grade premiership was its 2011 division one flag.

The Eagles were relegated to division three at the end of season 2022 and have been relegated to division four for season 2024.

Dutchy wrote:Wonder how the 2 players are feeling now?

jo172 wrote:

Dutchy wrote:Wonder how the 2 players are feeling now?

Two players?

whufc wrote:$300k fine for anything involving semi amateur sport seems extremely excessive, feel for the junior football program which will suffer as a result.

jo172 wrote:

Dutchy wrote:Wonder how the 2 players are feeling now?

Two players?

whufc wrote:$300k fine for anything involving semi amateur sport seems extremely excessive, feel for the junior football program which will suffer as a result.

jo172 wrote:Might also add that for an offence apparently so serious to warrant an extraordinary fine/huge suspensions that 4 APPS points seems a bit trifling? One player a year?

Footy Chick wrote:

jo172 wrote:Might also add that for an offence apparently so serious to warrant an extraordinary fine/huge suspensions that 4 APPS points seems a bit trifling? One player a year?

I'd say that was implemented to encourage them to use 0or 1 pt players and further limit any imports

Dutchy wrote:Reading between the lines the club has denied the allegations so huge fines have been applied, but will be suspended if they roll over and work with authorities now?

redyellow&blue wrote:

whufc wrote:$300k fine for anything involving semi amateur sport seems extremely excessive, feel for the junior football program which will suffer as a result.

EDIT - be ready for the deluge of players that will self report before the clubs can do it...

jo172 wrote:

redyellow&blue wrote:

whufc wrote:$300k fine for anything involving semi amateur sport seems extremely excessive, feel for the junior football program which will suffer as a result.

EDIT - be ready for the deluge of players that will self report before the clubs can do it...

It's curious isn't it.

I've been expecting the deluge every time a club has been pinged (Padthaway and Willaston for example) but it's never seemed to come for whatever reason.

Footy Chick wrote:These are the kind of posts you hope to never have to type about a club in your competition and this is why we've waited until the inevitable was about to happen before posting (*unlike some outlets that brag about having a secret but we're not going to tell you )

Some time ago, it was reported that Gaza was under investigation for salary cap breaches, over a period of years.

It appears that the CFL will report today that Gaza have been found guilty of APPS breaches, and have copped some pretty heavy sanctions as a result.

We're talking fines of over $300k, loss of 4 APPS points for the next 2 years (ie, they can only play with 11 points) and several club administrators have been banned from taking official positions for periods of anywhere from 5-10 years. They have 7 days to dispute the result.

At this point, I'll also mention that if they work with authorities, there is the option that most of the fine can be suspended.

I'll post the official findings once they've been released.

Please be respectful with your discussion. Yes, they've done the wrong thing but there are also a lot of people at the club who were not involved, and will be feeling very nervous about the future of their club that celebrated 100 years in 2023.