Players of the Nigerian Professional Football League, NPFL, club, Katsina United, have staged a protest against improper welfare over non-payment of their salaries accruing to five months.
The players blocked the movement of the team’s coaster bus departing to the George Innih Stadium in Ilorin, Kwara State, stating vigorously that they will not honour their next league game if the renumerations are not paid, deepening more into the club’s crisis in the campaign.
Some of the members disclosed that the owed salaries date back to the commencement of the season, adding that none of the newly recruited players have received salary since then.
The agitations, held yesterday, at the team’s Ilorin camp, just hours before NPFL Matchday 16 clash against Bendel Insurance, which they eventually lost 1–0, forced club officials into a last-minute scramble, resulting in the deployment of an alternative vehicle to convey the available players to the stadium. The disruption inevitably affected the team’s preparation and momentum, reflected in their laboured performance during the match.
A protester, Goalkeeper, John Enaholo, voiced the frustrations of the squad, saying, “All of us, the 22 new players, have not been paid for the past five months. It’s painful. We’ve complained many times but nothing has changed,” he said.
The incident adds to a growing list of off-field issues for Katsina United, who are already serving sanctions and playing at a neutral venue following crowd trouble in a previous fixture against Barau FC at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, Katsina.
The club management is yet to react on the matter as of press time.
