KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 15 — Twenty-seven Perlis state footballers have turned to being fishermen and clerks while others are washing cars in order to earn a living, a Bernama report said today.
The report said Perlis, which played in the FAM League (Malaysia’s third-tier league) in 2018, have not paid their players' wages for nine months beginning March 2018 till the end of the season in November.
Goalkeeper, Fahmi Izzarin Mustafa, 24, said Perlis Football Association (PFA) promised to settle all outstanding salaries by January 7 this year but till today nothing’s been forthcoming forcing the players to resort to other means to earn a living.
“PFA are giving us all kinds of excuses and are dilly-dallying with this issue. They think the matter is settled after we came to an agreement on how to settle our wages last year,” said Fahmi during a press conference attended by 16 of the affected players in Kangar today.
Fahmi highlighted how during the 2018 season PFA players forked out their own travel and accommodation expenses and haven’t been compensated.
Another player Ezzrul Ikmanizar Abd Rahman, 30, who plays in defence, said with the season about to start they can’t sign for another team until they’re released by PFA as they’re still under contract for 2019.
“According to the agreement we came to, payment will be made periodically but till today we haven’t received a cent,” said Ezzrul in the Bernama report.
The matter has caught the attention of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) who will use the allocation for PFA in 2019 to settle these outstanding wages.
