There will be no action in football's A-League before June at the earliest, with officials across the Tasman indicating, unlike their NRL counterparts, they are some way off restarting the competition.
It spells bad news for those who represent the Wellington Phoenix, with the club confirming to Newshub on Thursday that pay cuts are now imminent.
On Thursday, Football Federation Australia further postponed the A-League season.
Competition bosses remain committed to resuming play as soon as possible, but need players returning to training before scheduling matches, and they concede it's difficult to see that process beginning before the end of May.
The decision further stretches the Phoenix's finances.
"We're going to have to lose some players to make it affordable," General manager David Dome told Newshub.
Like all others, the club is reliant on another payment from broadcasters next month.
"Without the broadcast payment coming through… how we meet our salary payments as they currently stand is a huge, huge stretch."
The Phoenix have been one of the few that have continued to pay its players 100 percent of their wages since the league stopped, but that's likely to change.
"Whether pay cuts become widespread, I think, given the current situation, we have to be looking at that."
Further complicating matters is the fact that A-League contracts expire at the end of May.
But with 16 players on their books for next season, the Phoenix are better off than most.
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