Salary woes back to haunt Malaysian footballers

PETALING JAYA: It’s happening again. Even as the Malaysian League season winds down, it has come to light that several clubs have not paid their players and staff for months.

Kedah, Kelantan, Negri Sembilan and even Kuala Lumpur are caught in their perennial problem.

A source close to the Kedah team revealed that the team have not been paid for two months, with some players already disillusioned over the situation.

Some wants to cancel their contracts, but are kept rallying by the coaching staff.

Young Naqib Sharipuddin, who plays for Kedah II, hinted on social media that the players are affected by salary delays.

“The player relies on salary to survive, right?” he posted on Instagram, adding that the morale and motivation of the players have dropped too.

“Not all live a good life, not all players get help from their folks. The players need to reduce the burden on their families.”

One Kedah player, who didn’t want to reveal his name, shared his predicament.

“It is hard for us to play and even go for training when there are dues,” he said.

“The club said the sponsors have not given the full amount that was promised but isn’t all this supposed to be done when the deal is signed? It’s the players who are affected.

“We play the game because we love it and we owe it to the fans who come to the stadium. We just hope this situation can be solved.”

Then, there is Kelantan, who have been bleeding players thanks to their financial shenanigans, which has seen them being slapped with a transfer ban and only using younger players to power the team in the Super League.

Many of their foreign stars had left the club due to salary delays. Now, even the youngsters are contemplating quitting the game due to the situation.

Even Negri Sembilan have had salary delays, with some players saying it’s been two months. There were even murmurs that players and coaching staff didn’t want to train due to the issue.

It is learnt the state government may step in into sort out the situation.

Even Kuala Lumpur, who are in the Malaysia Cup semi-finals, are not having it rosy. There have been salary delays, but the players and coaching staff are putting up a strong front.

Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia (PFAM) president Safee Sali said the situation is dire and players have approached him about it.

“A lot of teams didn’t pay salaries for three to four months. It’s not good for the morale of the players,” said the former Malaysian international.

“Some can’t stand, they come out with statements

“I understand the players. It’s not easy to stay patient for so many months. They have bills to pay and they want to take care of their career. “Despite that , they perform well. I hope it can be solved amicably. Clubs need to have solutions. Many players have already called us,” he said.