Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Under-pressure Western Sydney chief executive Scott Hudson is the victim of a smear campaign, with fake documents circulated to the media that falsely claim the Wanderers have breached the A-League Men salary cap on his watch.
In the hours after the Wanderers claimed their first wooden spoon on Saturday following a 2-1 defeat to Wellington Phoenix, AAP was sent a falsified breach notice that claimed Western Sydney had spent over the ALM salary cap.
The document – sent on Australian Professional Leagues (APL) letterhead and addressed to Hudson – alleged the Wanderers had spent above the total player payments threshold during the back half of the 2025/2026 season.
Such a claim would have left the Wanderers open to facing possible sanctions, including fines and a points deduction.
But the APL said the letter was a fake.
The APL reiterated that the Wanderers had not breached the salary cap.
“Our football operations team reviews every men’s and women’s team salary cap position as part of a mid-season review process, with reconciliations completed at season’s end,” APL chief executive Steve Rosich said in a statement provided to AAP.
“That process is ongoing, with no breach notices issued.”
The A-League’s soft cap is $2.55 million but contains exemptions for up to two marquee players, two designated players as well as other caveats for scholarship and loyalty players.
It is the second time in a month that emails from anonymous accounts have been circulated claiming the Wanderers had spent above the salary cap under Hudson’s guidance.
Clearly there is an attempt to undermine Hudson after a season in which both the Wanderers ALM and A-League Women sides have finished last on their respective tables.
The Wanderers chief executive has been forced to payout the club’s last two ALM managers, Marko Rudan and Alen Stajcic, who was sacked in January.
Attendances at CommBank Stadium nosedived since Stajcic’s axing, with the Wanderers winning just two of their 11 games under interim boss Gary van Egmond and finishing last as a result of Saturday’s defeat to the Phoenix.
Ufuk Talay will start work as Stajcic’s long-term replacement in July after leaving his position as Sydney FC boss last month.
Hudson, who has yet to speak publicly after a disastrous season, did not respond to repeated requests for comment on Sunday.
The chief executive and chairman Paul Lederer are due to face the club’s supporters at a fan forum at the Marconi club on Monday.
