Soccer-Players union head attacks quarantining of Perth Glory squad

The president of Professional Footballers Australia, Alex Wilkinson, has questioned the decision to force Perth Glory's squad into 14 days of quarantine in Queensland after a single positive COVID-19 test.

The president of Professional Footballers Australia, Alex Wilkinson, has questioned the decision to force Perth Glory's squad into 14 days of quarantine in Queensland after a single positive COVID-19 test. Players and staff from the A-League club were placed in isolation after a player tested positive upon the squad's arrival in Brisbane on Thursday.

"It's just not fair (on) the players who are effectively sacrificing the most to keep the league going," Wilkinson told the Sydney Morning Herald. "They're the ones that are paying the price being away from their families again, for longer periods and over the festive season. It's not good enough."

Perth have fallen foul of Queensland's strict anti-pandemic regulations after flying into the state from Adelaide. Under those regulations, the entire squad is regarded as close contacts of the infected individual and must therefore undergo 14 days of hotel quarantine.

Other clubs have had players test positive but they have not been similarly quarantined as they are in other states where regulations are different. Perth's games against Brisbane Roar and Adelaide United have been postponed, while players' inability to train as normal has left coach Richard Garcia concerned about the impact isolation will have on their longer-term fitness.

Perth were already facing challenges due to stringent pandemic restrictions in Western Australia, which have forced Glory to play three of their four games so far this season outside their home state. "Teams like (Perth) and Wellington (Phoenix) need to be applauded for the sacrifice they made to keep the league going, to keep the integrity of the league," said Wilkinson.

"It's not fair they're the ones now paying the price. To be stuck in a hotel for 14 days over Christmas is just terrible."