Former Liverpool and England striker Robbie Fowler is suing Australian A-League football club North Queensland for damages over the termination of his playing contract.
Fowler was one of seven Fury players whose contracts were terminated when North Queensland restructured earlier this year due to financial difficulties and its running was taken over by Football Federation Australia.
Fowler has since signed a new A-League deal with the Perth Glory.
The players' union, Professional Football Australia, took action against North Queensland on behalf of the seven sacked players and reached settlements for all but Fowler.
The amount sought by Fowler has not been revealed.
``The case is of fundamental importance to all A-League players, as it goes to the heart of the security of a player contract in the A-League,'' PFA chief executive Brendan Schwab said in a statement Tuesday.
``To Robbie's credit, he could have gone and played in just about any country around the world and forgotten about the Fury situation, but he is committed to developing the Australian game and ensuring contract security for Australian players,'' he said.
The PFA has requested the claim be heard by Australia's National Dispute Resolution Chamber.
Fowler said A-League players felt strongly that all contracts needed to be protected whenever an A-League club was restructured.
``Players make career and lifestyle-changing decisions in reliance on the contracts they have signed,'' he said in a statement. ``
``This case is not about the compensation, it is about ensuring contract security for all players in the A-League and more specifically for the players who have suffered from the way in which the FFA handled the player contracts.''
