A-League clubs have savaged player representatives for their conduct during pay negotiations and pledged to implement their offer anyway.
Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) rejected the final pay deal put by A-League clubs and FFA last week, leading to the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement on June 30.
Adelaide United chairman Greg Griffin, who represented the clubs through the six-month negotiations, says the PFA is threatening the league's viability by painting an unreasonably bright picture of the state of the game.
Griffin says clubs would fall over if asked to substantially increase player payments.
"Three clubs will turn a profit this year, the rest will not," he told AAP.
"That's the winter of our discontent, these ongoing statements which assert the game is in this rosy condition, which it's not.
"What do they want? Do they want to play in a competition or not?"
Griffin said the PFA would effectively be sidestepped with no further room for negotiation.
"The door is closed," he said.
"As far as the clubs are concerned, we think we've gone way beyond where we think we had to go.
"The regulations will now be put in place and if the players union executive want to say `well let's put it into a CBA instead of regulations', that will occur."
It's understood the new six-year deal holds the salary cap steady at $2.55 million per season, which is effectively paid for by the proceeds of the league's broadcast deal with Fox Sports and SBS.
With an expected improved new broadcast deal two years away, clubs are reticent to lift the cap, though the proposed deal does allow them to spend more.
A much-discussed new `loyalty player' clause will allow clubs to spend up to $200,000 more on long-serving players outside the cap.
Griffin said he was personally against the move as "an unnecessary and unjustified creep in the cap" but lost that argument.
"We've agreed as a group it's the price of peace and we'll wear it," he said.
Under the terms of the new deal, it's understood 30 per cent of any increase in broadcast funds would flow to players.
Griffin also took aim at PFA president Matt McKay, saying the Socceroo midfielder and Brisbane Roar captain's suggestion that players were not responsible for financial mismanagement was "completely disrespectful".
"Maybe contracting him at his rate has contributed to financial problems Brisbane Roar find themselves in," he said.
PFA has previously pledged to explore industrial and legal options after the breakdown of talks but Griffin said he didn't expect a player revolt.
"Once the players see that this is a fair offer, I don't expect a pushback," he said.
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