Sydney FC goalkeeper Liam Reddy will be free to seek a new club for next season, but he cannot be sacked by the Sky Blues today despite being drunk on the plane to Wellington last week.

Reddy's A-League future now hangs on whether he can find a fifth club to play for, having previously represented Newcastle, Brisbane and Wellington, or whether he is welcomed back into the fold at Sydney. At present, this appears to be something with which the club is uncomfortable.

It is also unknown whether Reddy wants to stay and see out the third and final year of his contract.

However, the 30-year-old will head into today's disciplinary hearing with the minor comfort that A-League regulations stipulate he cannot be sacked by Sydney for this act alone.

The only way his contract can be terminated is if Football Federation Australia intervene and charge Reddy with bringing the game into disrepute for his action. However, it's understood the FFA would rather the matter be handled in-house by the Sky Blues.

The club is furious with his behaviour before and during the flight and once he arrived in New Zealand. It emerged yesterday that Reddy refused to wait for teammates at Wellington Airport after collecting his bags and when found by club officials after clearing customs, he was laying on the ground, on his bags, in an intoxicated state.

That he met former Wellington teammates the next day, after being ordered to fly back to Australia, has further exacerbated the break in trust between club and player.

Reddy could also leave Sydney by mutual consent if he accepts a payout, but it would seem the club, who are keen to cut their financial losses, would prefer not to pay out the final year of his contract.

There may, however, be some chance of things being worked out if the new coach and new chief executive, both of whom are probably at least a month away from being appointed, decide to wipe the slate clean with the keeper.

The reason Reddy cannot be sacked instantly is that under the provisions of the disciplinary notice, which charged him with breaching section 6.1 of the national code of conduct, a player can only be hit with one of two outcomes. He can be suspended for a maximum of two weeks, of which Reddy has already served one, or be hit with a fine of 50 per cent of one week's wages.

Only if a player has broken the conduct rule three times, under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, could he be sacked by the club. This is Reddy's first offence.

Professional Footballers' Australia chief executive Brendan Schwab said they had been in constant contact with Reddy upon his return.

''We have spoken with Liam and we're waiting to see what the outcome will be tomorrow night,'' he said.

''At this point in time we will assist Liam in any way we can, as we would any player, and our pressing priority is to see what the club's decision is, but we can't say more than that.''

Reddy has been an executive member of the PFA for more than three years and while Schwab affirmed this episode would not put his position in jeopardy, he admitted it was ''something the PFA will discuss in due course''.

- Sydney Morning Herald