SuperSport United CEO Stanley MatthewsBackpagepix

PSL players cannot afford salary cuts - SuperSport United CEO Matthews

SuperSport United chief executive officer Stan Matthews is against the cutting of players’ salaries due to the current suspension of the Premier Soccer League (PSL), saying players would be financially suffocated if such a measure is taken.

With some players at overseas clubs accepting wage cuts in the wake of their inactivity forced by the coronavirus outbreak, talk about a similar financial trajectory has started doing rounds in the PSL.

The league’s chairman Irvin Khoza recently gave no guarantees that clubs will continue receiving their monthly grants from the PSL, something that paints a bleak picture on teams that depend on the league’s financial assistance to pay their players.

Article continues below

On the contrary, the league’s chief executive Mato Madlala had assured that they will not cease financial assistance to clubs despite the current suspension of football activities.

Now, Matthews has stepped into the conversation, saying salary cuts for players are not an option for now.

“A salary cut in the PSL is a big no. Our players cannot afford that like Lionel Messi of Barcelona, or other big-name players in Europe,” Matthews was quoted as saying by Sun Sport.

“Our players’ budget is based on their salaries. There are players who earn big salaries, while others get a much lesser pay. They pay rates and taxes, school fees and buy groceries as most of them are breadwinners.

“If we cut their salaries, it will lead to a tremendous cash flow problem and increase the high level of borrowing cash from loan sharks and banks and this will bring huge stress to many households in the country.

“We have not discussed salary cuts. It’s the bridge that we don’t want to cross. We will tackle the situation if it deteriorates.

"Many players in those big European leagues earn big salaries while PSL players don’t earn that kind of money, which is enough for them to afford salary cuts.”

However, clubs might be forced to cut their players’ and staff wages if this season extends beyond June when the PSL complete their grants obligation for this term.

Advertisement