Durbar Rajshahi players will receive 50 per cent of their wages by the completion of the Chattogram phase, said team manager Mehrab Hossain Opi in Chattogram on Thursday.
Players from the new franchise reportedly boycotted their scheduled practice session on Wednesday owing to unpaid salaries. They even vowed to boycott their upcoming match.
Mehrab stated that the players would start getting their payments from Thursday, with 25 per cent of their payments coming in cash.
鈥榃e had a very cordial meeting with the board president yesterday [Wednesday], and he also talked to our owner,鈥� Mehrab told the reporters.
鈥楬e [the owner] committed to clear 25 per cent of payment in cash by today [Thursday] and another 25 per cent by the end of the Chattogram phase.
鈥楾he 25 per cent payment will be done in cash today. We will also provide them a cheque of another 25 per cent dated 19th instant. So the 50 per cent of the payment will be sorted by today [Thursday],鈥� he added.
Mehrab also insisted that they have taken the entire episode as a learning curve, as Rajshahi are new to the scene, and promised to be more careful in the forthcoming days.
鈥業f we were more organised, it would look nice. This was a learning experience for us as we are a new franchise.... Everyone should be alert to complete such things properly in the coming days,鈥� he concluded.
Earlier on Wednesday night, the franchise鈥檚 operation-in-charge, Jayed Ahmed, said that the team was committed to paying everyone by January 16.聽
However, Jayed didn鈥檛 deny the reports that the local players鈥� cheques had bounced earlier.聽
鈥楾he thing is, as you have known, in the match where our owner鈥檚 wife was present, while sitting in the sideline, she was hit by a ball and fractured one of her bones. She was taken to Bangkok immediately,鈥� he said.
Jayed insisted that the players were given instructions not to submit their cheques. However, according to him, two or three players didn鈥檛 follow that instruction as they thought that the problem had been solved.聽
Rajshahi, sixth in the points table, kicks off their Chattogram phase with the match against Sylhet Strikers today.
