Players upset as pay hike falls short of promises
The Bangladesh Football Federation's professional football league committee yesterday declared a six-week transfer window for the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League, from November 1 to December 15, and decided to increase players' payments from clubs from 25 per cent to 35 per cent of their contracts.
The decision was made at the first meeting of the new committee in the presence of its chairman and BFF senior vice-president Abdus Salam Murshedy, just two days after BFF president Kazi Salauddin promised players he would increase their payments to 40 per cent for the upcoming season, which will start on December 19 through the Federation Cup.
The players, who waited outside the BFF House for nearly three hours while the meeting was held, refused the decision and sought another appointment with four-time BFF president Salahuddin.
Abahani and national team midfielder Sohel Rana said: "We came here to learn the outcomes of the meeting. They decided to pay 35 per cent but we are not happy with this decision because the BFF president promised us 40 per cent. We will again sit with the BFF president because we haven't demanded much from the clubs."
Meanwhile, Murshedy maintained that the clubs had shown generosity.
"We had decided to pay 25 per cent of their new contacts for the upcoming season but players spoke to the BFF president and it was discussed at the executive meeting. During the pandemic, practically most clubs have depended on donations because they don't have permanent sources of income," Murshedy said after the meeting.
"So we have decided to increase the payment of the players to 35 percent from 25 percent of new contracts for the 2020-21 season. The new contracts will also include dues from last season.
"As a former footballer and organiser, I believe clubs have shown generosity amidst the pandemic. I also believe the players won't be unhappy with this decision," he added.
Replying to a query, the long-serving senior vice-president said: "There is no question of honor or dishonor [for the BFF president]. It is a discussion among club officials and players. The decision we made is the reality and what the president told the players were the thoughts of the BFF president, who may make an additional announcement because he is the head of the BFF."
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