The Socceroos are preparing themselves for their FIFA World Cup Asia Zone Play-off match against the Solomon Islands, taking place in Sydney this Saturday, (3rd September). The second leg of the play-off is to be played in the Solomon Islands Capital, Guadalcanal this coming Wednesday.

Although the Australian team are firm favourites to be the eventual winner over the two legs, they cannot afford to be complacent. The Solomon Islands have got this far by being well disciplined, and have showed it in the way they managed to draw 2-2 with the Socceroos, earlier this World Cup qualifying campaign, playing away in Adelaide.

Maybe for this reason, and for what to the players could be a HUGELY lucrative enticement for the players to perform well, the Football Federation Australia (FFA), have decided to make a contractual agreement with the players, who will, as a bonus, receive 30% of the revenue generated by the teams progression, in all competitions, after all costs are deducted.

And so, if they do manage to beat the Solomon Islands to get to the next stage of qualification, and then with their subsequent involvement in a play-off with the fifth placed team from the South American Zone for a place in the finals, could make a small fortune for each player involved.

The players’ total entitlement is a share of 30% of any prize money paid to the FFA for participating in this year’s Confederations Cup. They will get the same portion if Australia do eventually manage to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Just a day after completing the financial agreement for the Socceroos with the FFA, players' association chief Craig Foster then quit his post, to return to his former job of television commentary.

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