Wazito FC President Ricardo Badoer has explained why his employees, including the players, are not going to see pay cuts during the coronavirus break.
With the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) suspended, clubs have been looking at alternative ways of reducing their expenditure but four days ago, Badoer revealed none of his players was going to see even a coin subtracted from his salary.
He has now explained why he took the bold move.
“My thinking is when you have people working for you, you cannot decide not to pay them because there is a virus in the world, it would be very unfair for me to pull such a move,” Badoer told the club's website.
“They have families, they need to put food on the table and as such, I have to consider their welfare too.
“My company is an international company, we have a huge number of people working for us and in Kenya alone, we have employed around 65 people.
“If I decide not to pay them because of the virus, their families will suffer because they cannot do any other job right now. I am showing solidarity and responsibility by paying them all their dues during this difficult period.”
Badoer hopes his move will encourage the players and the backroom staff to return motivated and work even harder when the Covid-19-related break have ended.
“I always have money put aside that can run my business and pay my people during bad times. When you survive bad times, you come back stronger because the staff will be willing to give their best as they are part of a well-run business,” he added.
Kakamega Homeboyz were the first club to announce pay cuts from their players, chairman Cleophas Shimanyula and members of the technical bench.
Meanwhile, Wazito reminded their fans to keep safe during the quarantine period which has also seen limited public movement across the country.
“We encourage everyone to avoid public gatherings and adopt social distancing measures,” the club's statement added.
“Sanitize and maintain high hygiene levels. Stay healthy, stay safe, and we look forward to the day we will be back in the stadium playing and supporting Wazito FC.”
