Newcastle Jets owner Nathan Tinkler, Adelaide United chairman Greg Griffin and Central Coast Mariners chief Mike Charlesworth all confirmed the existence of the pact, which is believed to include up to eight A-League clubs.
The move is aimed at affording Glory – which was expunged from the A-League finals and fined $269,000 after exceeding the pay ceiling by more than $400,000 – time to stabilise amid speculation several players could have legal grounds to walk away from their contracts.
Showing empathy for the plight of Glory owner Tony Sage in retaining a competitive squad, Griffin explained: “Several of the clubs have intimated that in the event of a [current Perth] player seeking to break a contract based upon the salary cap issues, then they will not be interested in contracting with those players as they do not accept there is any proper basis to terminate the contract and it should be fulfilled.
“In the event, however, that Perth Glory and the player reach an agreement as to the termination of a contract then that player will be able to be considered by any of those clubs should they so desire.”
Tinkler admitted that the Jets would be interested in boom striker Jamie Maclaren as the club sets about rebuilding after the latest round of exits from Hunter Stadium, which included captain Taylor Regan, James Virgili, Sam Gallagher and John Solari.
But he insisted that he will not be attempting to pillage Glory of its top talent while Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) assesses whether any players would be entitled to leave the club on the grounds their contracts had been breached as a result of the salary cap saga.
“I’d like to see Perth retain as many of their players as they can and a bunch of us, as chairmen, have agreed to give them time to do that," he explained.
“We chatted with Tony Sage last week and seven or eight of us were happy to give them the opportunity to keep their squad together.
“Glory have had enough battles this season without everybody picking over the carcass. It’s a matter of giving them a chance to regroup and retain the players they have put a lot of effort into.”
But Tinkler said the lifespan of the amnesty would be self-limiting, adding: “Once they get their PFA issue sorted out and Glory work out where they are in their salary cap and get their house in order you will see what happens after that.
“Players will want to make their own decisions around that, too, in the longer term … this is just about giving them a chance to get things together and find their feet so they are intact for next year.
“The A-League is better if Perth has a strong team … coach Kenny Lowe has done great things there.”
Charlesworth concurred, declaring: “I am part of that agreement … we simply won’t negotiate with any contracted player at Perth.
“Tony has invested millions of dollars into the A-League and potentially a little more than he should have done last season. He deserves a lot more respect.”
Tinker defended the Jets’ latest cull, with 20 players having now departed the club since January.
“We really need to bring some quality into the squad and do things a bit differently going forward,” he added.
With a near blank canvas to work with, coach Phil Stubbins is heading to Europe at the end of the week on a 10-day talent-identification trek, with Tinkler adding: “He will talk to a few agents and few clubs and see what comes out of that.”
