FAM want statement from two parties over unpaid salary
SHAH ALAM: The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) have ordered the Professional Football Players Association of Malaysia (PFAM) and the Kuantan FA to provide a written statement to assist the national football governing body’s investigation into unpaid salary.
Premier League side Kuantan FA are alleged to owe their players 11 months’ salaries from last November.
FAM secretary-general Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin said that PFAM had lodged a complaint regarding the matter on Aug 28 and that the report stated that only four players had not received their salaries for between four and five months.
“I was informed by our legal department today regarding the issue with the Kuantan FA and their players. Some of the facts reported by the media were not accurate,” said Hamidin yesterday.
“We have told PFAM and the Kuantan FA to send in their affidavit for further action.
“The FAM can only act after receiving the relevant documents from the players and the PFAM. We will investigate this matter thoroughly.”
Hamidin also said that the national team will play their 2019 Asian Cup qualifying Group B match against North Korea in Pyongyang on Oct 5 despite the growing tension on the Korean peninsular.
The United Nation had passed sanctions on North Korea on Monday in the wake of the hermit kingdom’s nuclear test earlier this month.
Hamidin said that he had been in touch with Asian Football Confederation (AFC) secretary-general Datuk Windsor Paul John on the matter.
“They are threats of war in North Korea and the AFC are monitoring the situation. If there is a threat to (our players’) safety, AFC will inform us.
“AFC have been monitoring the situation, including the match between North Korea and Lebanon (The teams drew 2-2 on Sept 5). It looks like it’s safe to play there.
North Korea were initially supposed to host the Group B game against Malaysia at the Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang on March 28.
But FAM requested for the match to be changed to a neutral venue following a diplomatic crisis caused by the assassination of Kim Jongnam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea ruler Kim Jong-un, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Feb 13.