Union unhappy after players left sick in Perth heat

Perth Glory have since requested for later kick-off times after the 2-1 home loss to Adelaide United was played out in 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) temperatures which dropped by only four degrees at the end of the game, local media reported.





"Some players have since reported heat illnesses, including excessive weight loss, headaches and vomiting," Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) Chief Executive Adam Vivian said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The PFA will continue to monitor the players' health and will be conducting further discussions with Football Federation Australia and the clubs.

"We will be asking them to share with us the advice in which they were satisfied the players' health and safety was not compromised by proceeding with the match at that time."

League officials shot down suggestions they had risked player safety by allowing the match to go ahead on the hottest January day in Perth in 20 years.

"We've gone to great lengths to take serious medical advice on heat," A-League head Damien de Bohun was quoted as saying by ABC news.

"It's important to note that the FFA's standards are more stringent than FIFA's standards and it's based on medical best practice.

"Medically, the conditions were safe to start the game."

The match had been delayed by 30 minutes to a 1730 local time kick-off but that was not enough for league leaders Perth, who were already flagging after their 2-1 win away to Melbourne Victory on another hot Friday.

"We can't be stupid about these things," Perth captain Michael Thwaite said after just their second loss of the season.

"When you've got players' health risks -- you saw with Chris Harold coming off after 20 minutes -- it shows some players are going to react differently.

"Chris was suffering from heat exhaustion and when a player is going white you've got to take him off."

Vivian credited Perth and Adelaide for their efforts and said they would continue to work with the clubs and league on future kick-off times when they resume following the Asian Cup this month.

"Post match the players have expressed their disappointment that their efforts were affected by the conditions," he said.

"With Perth's next A-League fixture scheduled to kick-off at 5pm local time on January 25 the PFA will continue monitor the situation having previously seen temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius during this time of year."





(Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)


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Source: Reuters


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Union unhappy after players left sick in Perth heat | SBS News