Official release from Football Australia
Football Federation Australia (FFA) has today rejected the claims made by Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) in various media outlets in relation to Jason Culina's situation.
"This assertion is a red herring, a quite mischievous distraction from what's happening. You have to question the PFA's motives in running this line through the media.
"FFA doesn't intend to talk specifically about Jason's case, other than to say our advice is that the Newcastle Jets have been meeting their obligations under Jason's contract, as they should.
"We also understand that Jason is working hard on his rehabilitation in order to get back into action, which is great news for Australian football.
"Jason is one of the modern legends of the game with his service to the Qantas Socceroos in a golden era for the game. On behalf of the football community, we wish him well in his efforts to return to playing football.""The PFA is trying to make out that this situation involving Jason Culina can be boiled down to a dispute between FFA and Jason over insurance," said FFA Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications, Kyle Patterson.
FFA wishes to clarify the facts around insurance for marquee players in the Hyundai A-League.
Any club that decides to contract a marquee player does so knowing they are responsible for all costs, including insurance, and any liabilities arising from that engagement.
The cost of marquee players, as with the benefits, rest with the individual club, not the FFA or the Hyundai A-League or other clubs, some of whom have made the decision not to sign marquee players.
