Wages put heat on Tinkler
By ROBERT DILLON
March 18, 2015, 9:45 p.m.
NEWCASTLE Jets players finally received their monthly wages on Wednesday as the scrutiny surrounding owner Nathan Tinkler escalated.
Newcastle’s players were paid 48 hours late for the second consecutive month.
They are supposed to be paid on the 15th of every month, or if that falls on a weekend, the following Monday.
But, as was the case in February, their March pay was delayed by two days after the club encountered what Jets chief executive Mitchell Murphy described as ‘‘an internal cash-flow matter’’.
The embarrassing situation, which has angered Newcastle’s players and the Professional Footballers Association, has again raised the question of whether Tinkler has the funds to keep bankrolling the Jets.
Billionaire Gerry Harvey loaned Tinkler $1million last month, and Tinkler reportedly put the money into the Jets.
But an estimated $400,000 in unpaid superannuation to Jets players and staff, dating back more than a year, remains outstanding.
Sacked assistant coach Clayton Zane is understood to be yet to receive a pay-out, while unwanted former Socceroo David Carney is also waiting for the club to produce an offer that convinces him to terminate the final season of his contract.
The next month could determine if Tinkler can pay the players on April 15.
The one-time billionaire is facing a series of legal battles involving creditors, starting next week.
The Jets face a wind-up application by IT provider Reddog Technology that is due back in the Sydney Supreme Court on Monday.
Tinkler, his former confidant Troy Palmer and Patinack chief financial officer Tony Marshall are then expected to appear in the Adelaide Supreme Court next week to answer questions about a $4.7million debt owed to the Australian Tax Office.
Ashurst Australia lawyers are also trying to liquidate Tinkler Group Holdings Administration. The matter will be heard on March 31.
And last week US-based investment bank Jefferies Group lodged seven more wind-up applications aimed at liquidating Patinack Farm and its associated companies.
Behind the scenes there is mounting concern inside Football Federation Australia headquarters that the game’s governing body will have to intervene and remove Tinkler as Jets owner, just as the NRL ousted him from the Newcastle Knights in June.
Not for the first time, FFA chief executive David Gallop has warned Tinkler he needs to honour his commitments.
Gallop was quoted in News Limited publications on Wednesday saying: “The position remains pretty simple: If a current owner pays the bills, he will be the owner of the club. And if he doesn’t, he won’t be.
“There’s no question that not paying the players is a clear indication the owner can’t meet his obligations, and we would move quickly in that environment.’
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