Football is said to be the No. 1 sport in Malaysia. Yet, the issue of non-payment of wages continues to haunt those within the sport – including Kedah Darul Aman FC Under-23 assistant coach Irwan Fadzli Idrus.
The former international has not received his salary for the past 11 months, as revealed on a recent episode of the podcast Julang.
“I’ve never experienced not getting wages for 11 months, but it’s all about being mentally strong to brave the present day and age,” said Irwan on the show.
“It’s not just Kedah – it’s the same with other teams. It boils down to us. We just have to face this (challenge). To gain success is not easy – not as easy as we think it is.
“It’s not a situation where we wake up and there’s food. Right now, it’s a situation where we wake up and there’s no food. So how do we then find the food? We have to be tough. We too have a family, but we have to adjust accordingly. We have to spend accordingly.”
Irwan added that it’s not his job to think about the payment of wages.
“My job is to teach the players on the field to be better players. As for the salaries, it’s the administrators who have to think about it.”
Irwan, however, was quick to point out that the club’s majority owner, Tan Sri Daud Bakar, had met the players and assured them he was trying to raise funds.
“He (Daud) too didn’t expect this to happen. I feel he is still new to football. I believe he is trying to find the funds – but maybe we won’t get it now.”
Irwan isn’t alone, as former KDA FC Under-23 head coach Rosle Md Derus has also been left in a lurch, still waiting for his salary – amounting to nine months – owed by the Kedah outfit.
This despite the FA of Malaysia (FAM) instructing KDA FC to pay Rosle the owed wages and house allowance, with the total being slightly over RM100,000, as reported by Twentytwo13 in January.
In February, the club named three influencers as ambassadors to help promote the club and raise funds to pay the overdue wages of its players and officials. Daud had then said: “We will look at ways to start paying players their overdue salary. This includes former staff. We can’t pay the full amount, but will pay in instalments.”
It was recently reported that KDA FC has established a Special Rehabilitation Committee to restructure the club and ensure it is sustainable.
