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Glory owner Ross Pelligra to pay off $1m tax bill

3 minute read

Perth Glory owner Ross Pelligra remains committed to the A-League Men club despite being hit by a surprise wind-up order by the tax department.

Perth Glory fans can breathe easy with owner Ross Pelligra set to quickly erase the club's near $1m tax bill amid his ongoing commitment to stay on for the long haul.

Glory were sent into a spin when the Australian Tax Office launched a wind-up action against Perth Glory Football Pty Ltd over an unpaid tax bill of $946,879.55.

The club's hierarchy initially believed the bill had something to do with previous owner Tony Sage, given no correspondence had been received.

But they soon discovered it was indeed Pelligra's liability and it was just a case that the statutory payment document was posted to Perth Glory Football Pty Ltd's registered office in suburban Keilor East, rather than the PO box in use.

Glory chief executive Anthony Radich confirmed Pelligra has committed to paying off the debt.

"A letter or notification was sent to the street address in Victoria and not received at that end to my understanding, and nothing was received in Perth," Radich told AAP.

"And there's been no email or phone communication at either end.

"It's almost like a traffic infringement when you (normally) get the reminder notice - none of that was forthcoming.

"Having dealt with these institutions, in the normal course of events you're getting phone calls and emails and the like.

"To have the one notice in September and nothing from that point on, it's unusual.

"That's why it took the business by surprise. On the Friday it was brought to our attention about the court order and we were perplexed about what it pertained to."

The wind-up application was due for its first hearing on February 7, but it's expected that won't be necessary once Pelligra takes care of the bill.

"Now that we're fully aware of it and the status of it, the owner will look to clear that as soon as possible, that won't be an issue," Radich said.

"That will now be squared away pretty quickly by Ross, well in advance of that court date.

"It's probably an immaterial amount for the business of the size that it is."

Pelligra bought Glory in February after previous owner Sage was forced to hand back the club's licence amidst ongoing financial woes.

Sage was Glory's sole owner for 15 years and he estimates he poured more than $50m into the club.

Radich wanted to reassure fans Pelligra, a property developer by trade who also owns Italian Serie C club Catania FC, is in it for the long term.

"If you look at the Pelligra group and it's capitalisation, it's very asset rich. The financial capabilities are definitely there," Radich said.

"And the intent from Ross is a long-term view. That position hasn't changed. He's in it for the long haul.

"In terms of his other business interests the football club complements that and is part of that strategy going forward.

"He's definitely in it for the long term, and this (tax situation) is just an unfortunate set of events.

"But in terms of the viability of the club and his ownership, the fans shouldn't have any concerns at all."

Glory's current on-field fortunes could hardly be worse.

Perth sit second last on the ladder after posting two draws and five losses across their opening seven games.

Including last season, Perth have now gone 17 consecutive games without a win, just two short of an unwanted A-League Men record.

Glory, who host Newcastle on Saturday night, are set to hit the January transfer window in a bid to bolster their squad.

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