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What’s the story?
The head coach of I-League 2nd division club Pride Sports FC, Paulo Pedro has written to All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das, regarding salaries that have not been paid to staff and players of the club.
The letter was signed by the head coach and all the players of Pride Sports FC, the club which is based in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
In case you did not know...
Pride Sports FC is a semi-professional football club and debuted in the 2016-17 season. The club from Madhya Pradesh plays in the I-League 2nd Division and are currently placed at the bottom of the table in their group.
The heart of the matter
The letter contained the grievances of the entire management which requested the AIFF to look into the problem and try to find a solution to the situation the club have been in since the start of the season.
The letter revealed that the players who had signed on a contract by match basis received payment for only the first two matches, while those on a monthly contractual agreement received only one month salary after several months of delay. The head coach, Paulo Pedro, who has been with the club since 15th August hasn’t received any wages till now.
The head coach also stated in the letter that the management haven’t provided the players even basic meals, “The club didn’t guarantee the basic meals for us: Not proper food for athletes or, several times not even any food.”
Along with the financial crisis, the club have also had to cancel several practice sessions as they don’t have proper training facilities and no money for transport.
What’s next?
The letter also stated that the players and coaches were lodged in poor quality hotels and weren’t even provided ample money to spend when on the road. This is a violation of Club Licensing rules, which could put the management in deep trouble.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Sending a letter to the AIFF was a much-needed step as it was important to get the federation's attention regarding the issue and we hope that the AIFF will look into the matter with due diligence and work on a roadmap to improve things. The lack of empathy and professionalism shown by the club's management shows the great deal of change that is required to make football a viable profession in India.
