CWC boycott unlikely as Wanderers negotiations progress

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Talks between Western Sydney Wanderers players and club management appear to have headed off the prospect of a Club World Cup boycott with a leading member of the team declaring "things are looking positive" ahead of the A-League club's quarter-final against Cruz Azul in Morocco on Sunday (AEDT).

The playing squad is still seeking significantly more than the 10 per cent share of the prize money on offer should it lose to the CONCACAF champion.

The mood among players at the team hotel in the Moroccan capital of Rabat was upbeat after discussions on Tuesday with chief executive John Tsatsimas.

There was none of the tension of recent days in what has been a game of high stakes brinkmanship with the team, aided by the Processional Footballers Australia (PFA), pushing for a 50 per cent slice of the financial pie

That was the percentage they received for winning the AFC Champions League under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The club, with the CBA not applying, is only willing to rise the players' share incrementally depending on how far it progresses through the tournament.

Whether the club has committed to upping the ante in any other way was unclear on Tuesday, but a member of the players' leadership group said: "There have talks and the feeling among the squad is positive that there can be a resolution.

"That's certainly the way we are all approaching it."

The players are determined to do all they can to avoid a strike, aware how it would harm the club's image and tarnish the stunning achievement of qualifying for this prestigious intercontinental showpiece, where Real Madrid awaits in the semi-final stage, should the Wanderers beat Cruz Azul.

While steadfastly declining to elaborate on the outcome of discussions with the team, Tsatsimas said the group was focused on polishing its preparations for the opening game and was determined to put on a show for its fans.

The team trained for 90 minutes at the Muhammad VI Football Academy on Tuesday and with football, rather than industrial relations, inching back onto the agenda, the likelihood of PFA CEO Adam Vivian being required to travel to Morocco to intercede appears to have receded.

Source SBS