By IANS,
Kuala Lumpur : Former football international A. Ganeson is down on his luck, struggling to make both ends meet as he has failed to land a playing contract in the Malaysian Super League (MSL) this season.
To make matters worse, his former employers, Malacca FA (Mafa), have not settled seven months of salary due to him from May to November last year, The Star newspaper said Thursday.
The 38-year-old footballer from Penang, who made his international debut in the 1995 Chiang Mai SEA Games, said that he had a family to take care of and was now facing a very difficult situation.
“I had a small food business before but it did not work out. Payment of the outstanding salary would have eased my burden and enabled me to take up a course,” said Ganeson, who has played for eight different teams, including having skippered Johor FC, Public Bank and Terengganu.
“My appeals to Mafa have fallen on deaf ears. They are not sensitive to my problems. I am fed up of calling them because they have put me on a wild goose chase from last year. I have written to the FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) and the Players’ Status Committee (PSC) but nothing has come out of it too.”
His team-mate from Malacca, A. Muralitharan, said that he had quit playing football from this year because of the frustration in not getting his salary, The Star newspaper said Thursday.
“They (Malacca) still owe me money from 2006 (Oct-Nov) and another five months of salary from last year (May-September),” said Muralitharan, 30.
“I can still play for a few years more but I have decided to look for a more stable job. All I am asking is what is due to me. In fact, some of my former team-mates are also going through the same problem.
“Some of them received their payments a few months ago. I wonder why the delay in our payment? We have written to FAM more than 10 times.”
FAM general secretary Azzuddin Ahmad said he was aware of the financial constraints faced by Mafa.
Normally, the PSC can be asked to make out the payments from the state FAs’ annual grant but I am sad to say that their financial standing is in the minus, he said.
Azzuddin promised to refer the plight of the players to the PSC again.