CENTRAL Coast Mariners players have been told their outstanding superannuation shortfalls have finally been paid, just hours before the club became liable for a points deduction.

In email correspondence sent to the players union (PFA) on Wednesday night, Mariners boss Shaun Mielekamp said the club had made “bulk payments”, believed to total more than $150,000, to clear a backlog that players claimed in some cases went back almost three years.

Under new A-League rules, clubs become liable for sporting sanctions from the start of the new year if they are in arrears on payments to players, but Mielekamp said he was confident that the payments were “in line with your expectations and the CBA requirements ... We will be emailing each player directly confirmation of these payments for their assurance.”

Other clubs including Brisbane, Adelaide and Newcastle are also in arrears on various payments, but it’s believed the PFA is comfortable with progress made there and is unlikely to invoke sanctions immediately.

The Mariners’ payments, once confirmed by the PFA, will also obviate the right of players to seek to have their contracts annulled, with several of the Central Coast playing squad said to be considering their futures with the embattled club.

media_camera A ‘bulk’ payment of superannuation has been made to Mariners players. Picture: Peter Clark

Meanwhile Sydney FC marquee Filip Holosko is likely to escape punishment despite labelling A-League bosses “stupid” over the ban given to clubmate Matt Simon.

The Slovakian international hit out at the one-week suspension handed out to Simon over his clash with Mariners defender Jake McGing in last Saturday’s 4-1 win for the Sky Blues, even though Simon was convicted on the basis of TV footage that even teammates had labelled damning.

“The FFA suspend him for this one? No!” Holosko told the website Goal.com. “Yeah, I’m surprised. I think it is stupid from FFA for this one.”

But it’s understood the club moved swiftly to apologise for something they attributed to a language misunderstanding, and had the article withdrawn.

FFA elected not to pursue Perth goalkeeper Ante Covic for labelling Melbourne Victory striker Besart Berisha an “Albanian salesman” after the award of a contentious penalty last weekend.

Sydney striker Alex Brosque has been ruled out of Saturday’s trip to Melbourne City, thanks to the ongoing hamstring issue which has restricted him to one 25-minute cameo in the past three games.

Brosque felt tightness in his leg during the win over Central Coast, from the same hamstring where a strain had ruled him out of the previous two games. Though the Sydney captain had been hopeful of being fit to face City, he was left out of the Sky Blues’ travelling squad on Wednesday, with Shane Smeltz returning from injury to replace him.

Holosko was also added to the squad after serving his ban last weekend.