An import football player has been put in a difficult position after he has apparently been left without a salary for months after joining a Malaysian football team.
The player, 21-year-old Adam Azeez Arisekola from Nigeria, as well as his FIFA-licensed Football Agent, Abdulrahaman Abdulsalam, spoke to WORLD OF BUZZ in regards to how Adam Azeez has allegedly not received his salary from his current football team, Putrajaya Athletic F.C, since he joined in May 2024.
Abdulrahaman shared that the team also apparently neglected to fulfil their requirements of providing a car (or a monthly transportation allowance of RM1,000) and a monthly housing allowance of RM1,500, forcing Abdulrahaman to spend his own money to support the player.
When asked how much he has spent to support the player, Abdulrahaman said, “How am I going to calculate that?”, considering the sheer amount for daily trips from Ara Damansara to Cyberjaya for training with the football team, accommodation, daily necessities, and more.
Additionally, Putrajaya Athletic F.C. was allegedly responsible for covering the RM6,500 flight ticket to bring Adam Azeez to Malaysia, but they only provided RM2,500 and promised to pay the balance later.
However, Abdulrahaman has not heard anything about the remainder of the payment yet.
The footballer left a Qatar team with a stable income to play for a Malaysian team
Adam Azeez, who is said to be the team’s second-best scorer, had come to play for Putrajaya Athletic F.C., after leaving a stable income position with a team in Qatar.
“There was a game where I scored 4 goals.”
Now however, due to not getting his salary since joining the Malaysian team, he has not been able to send money to his family back home.
On top of that, he needs money to survive.
“People can come and watch these games, and say that the striker (Adam Azeez), is very weak. But, do they know if he has eaten anything before or after the game? What is he going to eat after the game? Where is he going to sleep after the game?” Abdulrahaman asked, referring to Adam Azeez’s lack of funds due to not being paid his salary.
A report was made to FIFA
After some pushing from Abdulrahaman in a formal letter sent on September 30 (Monday) and an alleged report to FIFA, the team’s Chief Executive Officer, Arzawiyah Ab Rahmah, sent Abdulrahaman a written agreement stating that the delayed salaries would be paid by November 15 (Friday).
“With reference to your letter on date, September 30, 2024, this letter serves as a formal notification regarding the outstanding payments of agent fees and player salaries. As per our agreement, these payments are scheduled for disbursement on November 15, 2024,” the agreement read.
Unfortunately, Abdulrahaman shared that this promise has allegedly not been fulfilled either.
Putrajaya Athletic F.C. has spoken up about this before
3 weeks prior to this, Harian Metro reported that Putrajaya Athletic F.C. coach and manager, Nazrulerwan Makmor, said that despite delays in salary payments, the welfare of the players through allowances has never been neglected.
“There is understanding at the club management level as well. Players are still given other allowances such as travel allowances, match bonuses and advances,” he said.
When asked about his response to this, Abdulrahaman alleges that it is a lie.
“I cannot speak on behalf of the rest (of the players), but my players are not being taken care of,” he explained, as he also has another player in the team under his management, who is in a similar situation.
“This year is the worst I’ve ever seen, in my 21 years in Malaysia,” he added further on the delayed salary payments experienced by football players in our country.
A bank loan is pending
As of now, Abdulrahaman and Adam Azeez were told that the team’s coach’s wife is currently pending a bank loan to pay off Adam Azeez’s delayed salary payments.
“Remember, nobody is above God. Keep that in mind. Whatever you do, do good. We come into this world with nothing and we’ll leave with nothing,” Abdulrahaman said.
WORLD OF BUZZ has since reached out to Putrajaya Athletic F.C. for comment but has yet to hear back.
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