Stop Treating Us Like Slaves; Sunshine Stars Players Tell Club Management

Sunshine Stars players have disclosed that they are ashamed to return home to share the Christmas season with their loved ones because the management of the club have refused to settle their outstanding salaries and match bonuses.

The Akure Gunners, who failed to book a continental ticket on the final day of the concluded Nigeria

Professional Football League season, describe their employers as slave masters, saying they committed their all during the season but the management would refuse to fulfill their end of the bargain.

The players further added that some of them played with injury just to ensure they finish well, and they have vowed to take to the streets if the club management will not answer them in time.

In the fore of this complaint are Prince Aggreh, Tunde Adeniji and goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa who expressed their agony as they are being owed three-month salary and match bonuses for 11 games.

“We gave our all during the season, played with injury and we are celebrating this festive season on empty stomach,” a key member of the team told Goal.

“The management has always treated us as slaves and not assets. All we want is that they should pay us our salaries else we are going to take to the streets like FC Taraba.

“Most of us are ashamed to go home for Christmas because we have nothing to give our family after a torrid season. This is unacceptable.”

However, the management told Goal that the players will smile home soon as the club are not losing grip over the situation.

“It is so sad that we have found ourselves in this situation. We hold our players in high esteem and share in their pains,” media officer of the club Wahab Bankole told Goal.

“I can assure you that all hands are on deck to ensure our players are paid and hopefully early next year, they will be credited in their bank accounts.

“Our plan was to pay them before the end of the season, but the money we expected from our source did not come as plan.

“I want to appeal to be players to stay calm as the management is having sleepless nights to ensure they are happy,” he concluded.

Aside from the Owena Waves, players of Enyimba , Warri Wolves, Nasarawa United, FC Taraba amongst other have lamented the inability of their club managements to pay them their remuneration. Goal