Suara Sumatra – The Indonesian Professional Footballers Association (APPI) has nine League 2 clubs that are in arrears on player salaries. Each club has a different amount of arrears and settlement status.
In total, the club’s salary arrears reaches IDR 5.4 billion. The nine clubs are Persiraja Banda Aceh, PSMS Medan, Semen Padang, PSPS Riau, PSKC Cimahi, Persikab Bandung, Persijap, Gresik United and Kalteng Putra.
APPI asked the nine clubs to immediately pay off their obligations before the start of the 2023/2024 League 2 season. APPI appealed to PSSI and PT LIB to monitor and verify these clubs.
PSMS Management Denies Player Salary Arrears
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Technical Director of PT Kinantan Medan Indonesia Andry Mahyar Matondang denied that there were any arrears in player salary payments.
“There were no arrears for PSMS Medan players last season,” he said in a written statement, Sunday (3/9/2023).
Andry explained that when League 2 last season was stopped due to force majeure, his party had reached an agreement with the existing players.
“When League 2 was stopped due to force majeure by PSSI and PT LIB, we met with the players and via Zoom, we agreed on a salary settlement,” he said.
The agreement between management and players occurred when the PSMS team disbanded in League 2 last season. His party has conveyed in front of the players and supporters who were present about the PSMS offer. According to Andry, at that time the two players did not comment.
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“All the players agreed not to ask PSMS to pay their full salaries. Until that month, they were given compensation and return tickets for those who had come,” he said.
“These two didn’t want it, they wanted it to be finished. But at the meeting they didn’t propose it, but afterward. In essence, they didn’t raise objections at the meeting, so when it was agreed, it turned out they had different wishes,” he continued.
The two players then sued over the matter and it is currently being handled by the NDRC or national dispute resolution body. The demand is that PSMS Medan must pay the salaries of the two players until the end of the contract period.
“There are two former players who have different demands, currently the case is still at the NDRC. They are asking for less than IDR 100 million, not more than IDR 100 million,” he explained.
According to Andry, this demand is irrational. The reason is, the player is still asking for salary payments until the contract ends when the force majeure causes League 2 to be stopped.
“They asked for salaries to be settled until the end of the season, that’s irrational. Then PSMS had to pay them when the league was stopped due to force majeure,” he said.
“Unless PSMS stops midway, there is still remaining contract, it must be paid. Moreover, at that time we were one of the teams that asked for League 2 to continue,” he said.
What’s more interesting, said Andry, is that one of the two players who demanded a salary until the end of the season immediately joined a League 1 club after League 2 was stopped. According to him, this meant that the player no longer had his rights at PSMS.
“One of the players who sued was already playing for a League 1 club, by statute that player no longer gets his rights,” he said.
Andry emphasized that if the NDRC’s decision is deemed to be detrimental to the management of PSMS Medan, his party will take legal action.
“So if the NDRC’s decision is detrimental to us, there will be legal action from PSMS Medan management,” he said.
