Two dozen young Singapore players were booted
out of the Genova International School
of Soccer(GISS) in Italy on Thursday, after the Sembawang Soccer
Academy (SSA)
allegedly failed to pay its Italian counterparts “a single
cent”.
The players, aged between 17 and 21, and their coach, Tohari Paijan, were told
by GISS directorMorris Pagniello on Wednesday to leave the
hotel and find their own accommodation, reported The New
Paper.
Pagniello decided that “enough is enough” after spending around
S$140,600 of his own money to sponsor the players since their
arrival on 6 August.
He said, “They’ve been thrown out of the hotel (the Granduca Hotel
in Pisa) because I can’t afford to pay for the boys any more.
“On Friday, we’ll be going to the (Singapore) embassy (in Rome) to
see what they can do for the boys until they return to Singapore on
October 19.”
Media reports last week stated that the SSA and GISS were locked in
a contractual dispute which resulted in a non-payment of
fees.
It is understood that the SSA has to pay GISS about S$659,000 for
the boys’ training and accommodation.
Although SSA general manager Alfred Loi said that he planned to
travel to Italy to resolve the issue with Pagniello, the meeting
never took place.
Pagniello said, “Alfred hasn’t come. They are aware that the boys
are being thrown out of their hotel.
“I’m breaking my end of the contract now. I can’t do anything any
more.”
When contacted in Italy on Thursday, Tohari, 53, confirmed the
news.
He said that he and the players will leave the hotel and travel to
the embassy on Friday.
“The boys know about the situation, but they’re not really affected
by it because Morris has treated us well since the first day,” he
said.
“We have never felt neglected. Morris has fed us every day and
ensured that all the training and matches continued as
scheduled.
