REPUBLIC OF IRELAND striker Andy Keogh is at the centre of a major Australian sporting scandal as his club Perth Glory has been accused of making cash payments to the Dubliner’s family in a bid to avoid breaching the A-League’s strict salary cap rules.
Keogh, whose 11 goals in 25 games helped Perth into this season’s playoffs, signed a two-year deal with the club worth AUS$700,000.
However, with Perth skirting close to their salary cap limit, the Herald Sun is reporting his salary was submitted to A-League authorities as AUS$160,000 per year, not AUS$350,00o.
The paper also reports that two separate payments, one of which allegedly amounted to AUS$50,000, were made to his family some of whom already lived in the Perth area.
However, it is believed that Keogh himself was not informed of the details of the payment methods until after he arrived in Australia and was unaware of any illegalities.
The 30-times capped Keogh is not the only player involved with up to six team-mates said to have received payments that were not reported to Football Federation Australia.
The FFA has taken disciplinary action against Perth, banning them from the playoffs and imposing a fine of AUS$269,000.
The club had initiated a Supreme Court action on Friday aimed at securing an injunction against its ban from the finals but has now suspended the action and will appeal the decision trough the FFA.
