Australian midfielder Stefan Mauk recently shared remarkable things about the changes in the income level between the A.League and tournaments in Southeast Asia.
According to Stefan Mauk, the gap in treatment is putting Australian football at risk of bleeding young talents.
While other leagues are constantly increasing benefits for players, the A.League is going in the opposite direction. That is the reality of Australian football at the moment. Many young players will choose to play abroad in the near future and I completely support that," Mauk said.
He said that an A.League player from 22-25 years old, regularly starting, currently has a salary of no more than 150,000 AUD/year. Meanwhile, a few years ago, top stars could receive 250,000–500,000 AUD/year, but now 300,000 AUD is considered very high. Conversely, in Southeast Asia, many top players can still reach an income of about 500,000 AUD/year.
The midfielder of Hanoi Police Club also believes that the advantage is not only in salary, but also in living expenses and support regimes from clubs.
I have talked to a few players playing in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and of course I know roughly the situation in Vietnam. The income here, plus the club always takes care of the rent and vehicles for the players, the living expenses are only about a quarter compared to in Australia," Mauk shared.
He also emphasized that bonuses and the playing environment are helping many players have a better actual income than their basic salary. "Not to mention bonuses here are also very good. I am really carrying a suitcase of money back to Australia," Mauk added.
Not only stopping there, this player revealed that he is receiving a 30-40% salary increase offer after a successful season.
I am in negotiations with Adelaide. They will be very happy if I return, but at the same time they also understand that the budget is not much left. Meanwhile, Vietnam is willing to offer me a higher salary than the current one by about 30-40% because the team is having a very successful season," he said.
According to Mauk, the disparity in treatment makes many Australian players consider playing abroad, even not excluding the possibility of not returning to the A.League due to increasing domestic living costs.
He also predicts that this trend will continue to increase as tournaments in Asia, including Vietnam, increasingly expand opportunities and improve the regime for foreign players.
