That would be a profound shame, since we have been waiting so long for the Glory to be competitive, to strengthen the national footprint and alleviate the eastern seaboard bias – and they seemed to have finally achieved parity.

All three Glory teams are having a fantastic year. This weekend, club legend Jamie Harnwell will attempt to win the club's first W-League double, having trounced the league with considerable style, and the youth team also sits atop the National Youth League table.

Things are, or were, at last working perfectly for the long-suffering Tony Sage, who only last season was told by his own supporters to get out of town and leave the club behind, thank you very much.

But Sage had evidently turned it all around this season, leading the A-League and losing the FFA Cup final, or has he? Just when all seemed bright, came news of alleged salary cap breaches dating back a number of years.

Apparently, relocation fees, housing allowances, cars and, particularly agents fees for the contracting of players, have been omitted from quarterly reports to FFA. If accurate, the penalty must be severe.

And FFA chief David Gallop must be concerned over the fact that the Glory's indiscretions came to light through no procedural or compliance mechanisms of the governing body, but in this publication, raising questions over the rigour of the current reporting system.

The question is whether an improper advantage has been gained by spending more on the A-League squad than competitors and, pending the investigation by FFA, this would prima facie appear to be the case.

Why is it so important that clubs abide by the collective rules? Competitive balance, that's why, and a failure to do so places the integrity of the competition in serious jeopardy, not to mention the livelihood of those at competing clubs.

The entire basis of the competition is predicated on the willingness of the players to accede to equalisation policies that limit all 10 clubs to a standard squad size, and expenditure to underpin sustainability of the league.

Aside from the exclusions to the cap such as the international and Australian marquees, being able to attract the highest possible quality of players while maintaining outlay within the prescribed limits is one of the fundamental determinants of success.

In recent years, for example, both Brisbane Roar and Central Coast Mariners have been able to succeed with squad expenditures far lower than the likes of Melbourne Victory and, especially, Sydney FC, through smart acquisition, quality coaching, retention of key players and by promoting youth, a critical factor for the competition made necessary under the current cap.

While awaiting the outcome of the investigation, there is no question that Perth's performance to date this season is due to the recruitment of highly experienced players, at the expense of the focus on youth of last season.

Andy Keogh, Mitch Nichols, Youssouf Hersi, Richard Garcia and Dino Djulbic have contributed to one of the most experienced teams in the competition, and the results have followed. Had agents fees and other costs being excluded, the question is which, if not how many, of these players could not otherwise have been signed?

Should Glory be found to be in breach, the likes of Mike Mulvey, who lost in Perth on the way to being sacked, would have to ponder the implications of a win in early season to alleviate the terminal pressure he eventually faced. So too Kenny Lowe, who is doing very well this season and certainly had nothing to do with previous seasons and, we hope, any breaches in this as well as the players, whose careers can be adversely affected through no fault of their own.

The effects on individual careers of any club failing to adhere to a level playing field are very real.

We are all delighted to have the Glory back in contention, strengthening the competitiveness of the league and revitalising a flagging market. Let us hope that no breach is found; however, should they have flouted the rules, their season is over.

The only path left open to FFA  would be a loss of all points and a significant fine as deterrent.

The players, coaches, competing clubs and, of course the fans, deserve nothing less.

The integrity of the salary cap is nothing less than the integrity of the competition itself, and that is paramount.