African footballers contracted to Sporting Afrique club which plays in Singapore's professional S-League have won substantial increases in their salary package. As disclosed by Today on 7 June, the 22 players were previously receiving only an average of $100 a month and were crammed in one house at Seletar Hills and fed a monotonous menu of rice and chicken. The players, recruited mostly from Kenya, Cameroon and Nigeria, expected to earn $1,600 a month and didn't realise that they had agreed that the company could deduct $1,500 for food and pitiful accommodation. The disclosure sparked massive public reaction, with many fans condemning the club for exploiting its players.
Two weeks of hard negotiations by stakeholders, including the Football Association of Singapore, resulted in the players accepting a new deal, which increases their monthly take-home salary to about S$600 a month. They will also be entitled to earn up to $1,000 a month on a new bonus system, depending on their results. The club will also be sourcing for two more houses for the players to live in till the season ends, with catered meals thrown in.
.
"It is a good outcome," FAS president, Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, told Jose Raymond of Today. "The club addressed the players' grievances and can now move on and concentrate on the football. Sporting Afrique have some very good players and have added a new dimension to the S-League with their blend of football."
Two weeks of hard negotiations by stakeholders, including the Football Association of Singapore, resulted in the players accepting a new deal, which increases their monthly take-home salary to about S$600 a month. They will also be entitled to earn up to $1,000 a month on a new bonus system, depending on their results. The club will also be sourcing for two more houses for the players to live in till the season ends, with catered meals thrown in.
.
"It is a good outcome," FAS president, Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, told Jose Raymond of Today. "The club addressed the players' grievances and can now move on and concentrate on the football. Sporting Afrique have some very good players and have added a new dimension to the S-League with their blend of football."