Tunku Mahkota Johor, Tunku Ismail Idris ibni Sultan Ibrahim, has called for the president of Melaka United F.C to take immediate action in resolving the financial issue that the team is currently experiencing.
For those in the dark, the Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia (PFAM) has recently expressed their solidarity, while informing that they have sent a notice of demand for the three -month arrears to be resolved by Wednesday next week (19th January).
Even former Melaka United defender, Khairul Helmi Johari who is now playing for The Red Warriors, claimed that he is still waiting for his payment for the last four months, which apparently hasn’t been paid by the football club. According to him, “I’m still working on getting (the remaining of my salary), while the rest of my teammates are currently waiting for theirs.”
The 33-year-old footballer added, “I’m not sure until when (this issue will last), and I hope Melaka can finish soon because we are about to enter a new season. There are players who stayed. and there are also some who have gone their separate ways. I don’t know the exact date they promised, I hope it can be resolved as soon as possible.”
The Johor Prince, who’s also the president of the aforementioned association, also shared a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation with the president of Melaka United, Datuk Sulaiman Mohd Ali, calling for the issue to be resolved at once. TMJ stated, “(This issue) is not good for the image as well as the integrity of the team, apart from the welfare of the players.”
This is not the first time Melaka United has been plagued with the issue surrounding the players’ salary arrears. During the previous two seasons (2020 and 2021), Melaka were deducted three Super League points for failing to settle their dues.
As stated in the rules that have been set by the Malaysian League, if a team still fails to settle its players’ salary arrears, the team can also be subjected to penalties, in addition to deduction of points.
Source: VOCKET F.C.
