Motsepe Foundation Championship side Pretoria Callies have delayed the payment of their players’ salaries yet again.
This is second time in two consecutive months that the salaries have been pushed back.
According to a source, the players will only be paid on Monday, 5 June, infuriating players who are feeling hard done by the club after they saved the from relegation after finishing in 11th place on the log.
“Good day, kindly note that the salaries will be paid on or before Tuesday, 5 June 2023 [sic]. We apologise for the inconvenience caused,” said the statement from the club to the players.
Players were left unhappy with the delay after a similar case in April. “It is too much, these guys are ungrateful,” said one source to iDiski Times.
“This has been happening for some time and we have saved the club in these conditions. Players would get injured and they take them to government hospitals and we would even go play matches without a pre-match meal.
“We would eat pap from the rank and we would come out with results. Sometimes we would go for months without being paid – [players] and staff.”
Another source was left unhappy about the message that was shared in Callies’ team WhatsApp group: “This is very unprofessional. I’m sure you guys knew about this before the pay day. Why come on pay day and tell us?”
Another responded said: “So nobody is going to give us a reason and why wait on the payday to tell us that than this statement?”
Someone within Callies later explained the delay in messages seen by iDiski Times: “I got off the phone with the president [Moses Madala] and the reason for the statement we have sent is because the system has crashed and they need to capture all our details and stuff. They are trying to fix the problem and I was told that we will get paid.”
Chairman Moses Madala downplayed the delay in payment when contacted by iDiski Times, saying the players “will be paid anytime”.
Meanwhile, Callies have already parted with coach Kwanele Kopo, who also faced these financial issues within the club and resigned earlier in the week ahead of an expected move to Chippa United, as reported by this publication earlier in the week.
Callies also made headlines on the final day of the Motsepe Foundation Championship after losing 4-0 to Polokwane City on the final day of the league, when Kopo had questioned the performances of some of his own players.
Story by Robin-Duke Madlala (@duke_robin).
