Safee won’t let his fellow pro footballers suffer.
Football players can be glamorous, and rich. but they can also be dead-broke, and turn to odd-jobs to make a living when teams do not pay them their salaries on time. much-decorated star safee sali has seen both sides. and he wants to do something to make it right.
SAFEE Sali is one of the most-decorated players in the country. The Petaling Jaya City striker has played for Telekom Melaka, Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, Selangor, Johor Darul Ta’zim and also for Pelita Jaya and Arema Cronus in Indonesia.
In fact, he became the first Malaysian footballer to play in the Indonesia Super League with Pelita Jaya in 2011.
But even he could not escape a perennial problem plaguing Malaysian football – unpaid wages.
After a 19-year career as a professional and with a roomful of accolades behind him, the 35-yearold joined Premier League outfit Perlis in late 2018 and learnt how it felt to be a professional who could not expect his salary on time.
Perlis’ failure to pay their players’ salaries forced some of their players to become fishermen, oddjob workers, and to set up burger stalls.
Safee and his teammates complained to the Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia (PFAM) and the Malaysian Football League (MFL) booted out Perlis from the M-League on Feb 20 after the league organisers found that the team have insufficient funds for the 2019 season.
Safee’s work with the PFAM over the unpaid salaries has become a turning point for the Kajang-born player.
He decided he wanted to help his fellow professionals and he was appointed PFAM’s new president for the 2019-2021 term on Nov 5.
“The situation I faced in Perlis was an eye-opener for me, I felt helpless even though I had a reputation in the industry ... I started to think about the plight of the younger players and older players who are struggling with their financial commitments,” said Safee.
“We are not degree holders or skilled workers who can switch jobs immediately ... and football is governed by different rules, we can sign for other teams only during transfer windows which open twice per season.
“On top of that, the competition for places is very stiff as there are only 12 teams each in the Super League and the Premier League.
“Footballers do get paid handsomely at their peak but you must remember that a footballer’s
lifespan is around 15 years ... as players age, their wages go down. In other industries, workers get paid more as they get older.
“We are open to negotiating wages before signing a contract but the trend in these last couple of years is that teams don’t respect the contracts and fail to pay salaries on time.”
As the new PFAM president, Safee said he hopes to find a solution to the issue of non-payment of salaries.
He added that he aims to strengthen the position of the PFAM to make their voice louder.
“The PFAM have always fought for the players’ welfare and I hope I can follow the footsteps of our former presidents and help improve the situation of our footballers,” he said.
“We currently have over 400 members but we need to have more ... We are looking to have all the players from the Super League, Premier League and also teams from the President’s Cup to join us as members. We will have our recruitment drive soon.
“I see there’s a lack of awareness from the players on the importance of the PFAM. We will have our exco, made up mostly of senior players, to talk to the players and educate them about PFAM’s role and benefits.”
A footballer’s lifespan is around 15 years ... as players age, their wages go down. In other industries, workers get paid more as they get older. Safee Sali