Luis Rubiales, President of the Spanish Footballers Association (LFP), has revealed that Malaga players are owed money in unpaid wages.
“I am not talking supposition. There is a situation with unpaid wages as of June 30, with players owed between 35 and 40 per cent of their salaries, which is a significant amount,” Rubiales told Malaga FM-Radio Marca.
Rubiales, who met the Malaga players last Friday at their pre-season training base near Alicante, refutes suggestions there is some sort of campaign against the club and its Qatari owner Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani.
“I do not know what has been invested but there have been some previous problems, because if there had been none then it would be some kind of fairytale and Fernando Hierro [the club’s former general manager] would still be at Malaga.
Hierro resigned his post in May, saying he did not feel comfortable in the role and expressing concerns at the way the owners were constantly late in paying transfer fees and employees’ salaries, feeling it directly impacted on his own reputation.
In addition, Rubiales explained that Malaga, the same as all clubs in La Primera, La Segunda and Segunda B, must honour the contracts they have signed with players.
“It does not have to be anyone special, whether they come from Qatar, Japan, Madrid or Huelva,” he insisted.
“There are rules here, which I’m sure could be improved, with football having to be meticulous and take things seriously, but the players are now getting paid much less at the majority of clubs and are adapting to what is available.
“All we are asking is that what they have been promised is respected.”
The deadline for players to take any grievance to the LFP expired on Monday, yet Rubiales declined to say if any Malaga player had lodged an official complaint.
“With respect to whether there have been complaints I cannot comment as the players are under the Spanish Football Federation, although it is another thing if they make it public, but they know their responsibilities and rights.”
