Marquee man: Glory skipper MIchael Thwaite. Photo: Getty Images

Perth Glory played the first two games of their FFA Cup campaign with a squad that would have exceeded the A-League salary cap by 20 per cent had it remained unchanged for the remainder of the season. 

Going into Tuesday night's FFA Cup final between Perth Glory and Adelaide United, Fairfax Media can reveal Perth Glory were exceeding the forecasted annual salary cap by approximately $500,000 for their first two rounds of the FFA Cup. Perth defeated Newcastle Jets and St Albans Saints in the first two rounds on their run to the inaugural final of the competition.

Glory also played the opening two games of the A-League season over their annual salary cap forecast of $2.55 million, the limit imposed on all 10 A-League clubs. They won their first two games of the season at the expense of Wellington Phoenix and Brisbane Roar and now lead the ladder. 

Import: Serbian midfielder Nebojsa Marinkovic has impressed since his arrival from Hapoel Haifa. Photo: Getty Images

Sources involved with the club say Glory management was warned internally that its pre-season recruitment would take the club well over the annual salary cap as a result of a shopping spree that brought the likes of Mitch Nichols, Youssouf Hersi, Andy Keogh, Richard Garcia, Diogo Ferreira and Ruben Zadkovich to Perth. 

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The club subsequently brought its books into line with A-League requirements by shifting two of its highest earners into marquee positions. Defender Michael Thwaite and midfielder Nebojsa Marinkovic were on October 22  approved by the FFA as marquee players exempted from the salary cap.

The two players were moved outside of the cap with no fanfare in a move that contrasted with the club's declaration on May 28 that it had no intention of signing marquee players and was prepared only to operate within the salary cap due to financial reasons. It is understood Perth are now operating at approximately $50,000 under the A-League salary cap for this season. 

Head of the A-League Damien De Bohun said he had no concerns that what could be seen as an administrative error might have threatened Perth's season. De Bohun said each club's salary cap was only assessed annually and that the FFA monitored player wages quarterly. The FFA was first notified of the Perth's financial position in early October before Marinkovic and Thwaite were moved outside of the cap to rectify the club's salary cap problem.

"It's obviously a few months into the contract system but the bottom line is that payments are worked over a 12-month period, we do payment reviews quarterly," De Bohun said.

He said he was not concerned with the specific dates of the salary reportage as long as Perth's books were in line with the stringent A-League salary cap requirements by June 30, 2015.

"Dates, in terms of when contracts are lodged with us, the reality is that it's a dynamic environment," he said. "Different players are signed up before the season starts, some contracts carry over and in the january transfer window, some players go and new players come in."

Perth Glory chief executive Jason Brewer said the players were shifted over in order to give the club flexibility to recruit other players. He says the club lodged the applications on the eve of the start of the A-League season but not before the FFA Cup began.

"We are completely compliant with A-League salary cap regulations," Brewer said. "The inclusion of players such as Michael Thwaite and Nebojsa Marinkovic as international marquees and domestic marquees is entirely consistent with regulations."