AIFF contract for 17 national players
Seventeen India national football team members signed contracts with the All India Football Federation here on Tuesday, with the players who recently struck increased packages with new clubs getting almost a similar amount and others a 15 per cent hike on their existing salaries.
The arrangement will mean players like Steven Dias and Mohammad Rafi, who signed new contracts with Churchill Brothers, will get an amount close to their new salaries. They were reportedly under-paid by former club Mahindra United as compared to other top players.
The AIFF had proposed a 15 per cent hike in the existing (2009-10 season) salary of the selected 30 players on pro-rata basis for eight months (June to January, 2011). They will train under national coach Bob Houghton exclusively for January 7 to 29 AFC Asian Cup in Doha, Qatar.
Another 10 players are expected to sign on the dotted line on Wednesday, while Sunil Chetri, Gouramangi Singh and Subrata Paul’s cases would be taken up later.
Chetri is now with Major League Soccer club Kansas City Wizards while Gourmanagi and Subrata are leaving for Australia and Canada respectively for trials.
“Seventeen players today inked contracts today and 10 more will sign tomorrow. Those who have received new contracts (after 2009-10 I-League season) will get the amount they will get under their new deals. Those who do not have new contracts will get a 15 per cent hike on their old salary,” AIFF vice-president Subroto Dutta, one of the four officials who handled the contract issue said.
National captain Baichung Bhutia said the players were satisfied with their contracts. and lauded the AIFF for taking an initiative to sort out the tricky issue.
Besides Bhutia, Renedy and Dias, those who signed contracts on Tuesday were N.P. Pradeep, Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Mohammed Rafi, Govin Moirangthem, N. Mohanraj, Mahesh Gawli, Climax Lawrence, Sameer Naik, Anthony Pereira, Clifford Miranda, Anwar Ali, Surkumar Singh, N.S. Manju and Dipak Mondal.
Post new comment