Sunshine Stars players protest unpaid wages

Sunshine Stars players took to the streets of Akure before landing at the Government House on Friday to protest six months unpaid wages.

The Owena Whales are 16th on the Nigeria Professional Football League log, and will host ABS FC in their next outing on Sunday at the Akure Township Stadium.

For the NPFL side’s staff who have not be paid for the past seven months, they have threatened to withdraw from all off-field duties if their outstanding entitlements are not cleared before February 15, 2015.

The backroom workers claim they were abandoned by former chairman Ola Mafo led board following the inability of the club to grab a continental ticket last season, and that the new board headed by Dapo Ajibade is not making any serious effort to ensure they are remunerated.

''Some of us did not go home during the yuletide season because there was no money to celebrate with our family’’ a key member of the team told Goal.

''We have always been treated as slaves yet the management want us to win the NPFL title and qualify for the Caf Champions League. How are we going to achieve that when we are all hungry?

''This is a key reason why some of our best legs left the club before the commencement of the season. Even the new chairman [Dapo Ajibade] looks unworried about our torment.’’

At the Government House, Ondo State’s deputy governor Lasisi Oluboyo appealed to the players that they would be paid as soon as possible.

All efforts to get in touch with the ODSFA officials proved futile as at time of filing this report.

It would be recalled that players of Sunshine Stars threatened to shun the club as they were being owed three-month salary and match bonuses for 11 games December 2015 - a decision which led to a mass departure of several players most notably Prince Aggrey, Tamen Medrano, Iyorha Luther and Musa Newman.