Portsmouth fail to pay player wages

03 December 2009 19:53
Portsmouth's problems show no sign of going away after it was revealed that their players had not been paid for a second time this season.

The majority of the first-team squad have not yet received their November salaries with a similar scenario having occurred two months' ago.

A statement from the Premier League's bottom club read: "A proportion of their wages will be paid tomorrow (Friday) with the club's new owners working towards paying the remainder over the next few days."

The previous delay was said to be due to administrative problems following the takeover of the club by former owner Sulaiman Al Fahim.

Al Fahim has since sold the club to Ali Al Faraj while Avram Grant replaced Paul Hart in charge of first-team matters last month.

Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, is concerned by the latest development, saying: "You can understand much better problems in the Football League and lower down.

"Chester City, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Watford - players have shown a great deal of solidarity and sympathy and understanding and deferred wages.

"But if that is happening in the Premier League I'm sure it isn't good for the image of the game and, if it's the case, it isn't going to be highly thought of at the headquarters of the Premier League either.

"There can't be any good reason in the Premier League with the money they enjoy from television income alone, never mind sponsorship. That's what life is about in football, paying wages of the players.

"I thought this had been solved with the change of ownership at the club a few weeks ago."

Source: DSG