PSL deducts Leicesterford City grant to settle former players’ unpaid wages

The Premier Soccer League has deducted part of Leicesterford City FC’s monthly Motsepe Foundation Championship grant to pay two former players who were allegedly owed several months’ wages.

Thabo Mosadi and Lerato Mohlala received the money due to them on Tuesday, according to the Football Union of South Africa (FUSA).

The payments followed an order from the PSL Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC), after Leicesterford City failed to settle the players’ salaries.

FUSA became involved after the club did not pay Mosadi and Mohlala for several months. The union said its intervention was intended to protect the players’ labour rights and livelihoods while ensuring they received the money they were owed.

“Thabo Mosadi and Lerato Mohlala are sorted now, yesterday they received the monies that were owed to them by Leicesterford City,” Motloung told KickOff.

The union said the PSL recovered the money by deducting it directly from Leicesterford City’s regular grant.

“The PSL deducted the money from the Leicesterford City’s monthly grant. One of the players was owed six months’ salary, and the other four months’ salaries,” Motloung added.

The outstanding wages date back to the period when the club was still operating under its previous name, JDR Stars FC.

“The club has been owing this since they were still trading under the name JDR Stars FC,” he added.

The case adds Leicesterford City to the list of PSL clubs whose grants have been used to settle debts owed to players following a dispute-resolution process.

For Mosadi and Mohlala, however, the deduction has brought an end to a dispute that had continued for months after they left the club. Their wages were not paid directly by Leicesterford City, with the PSL instead taking money from the club’s monthly allocation to meet the obligation.

The DRC order provided the basis for that action, while FUSA represented the players in seeking payment. The union’s involvement came after the former players had allegedly been left without salaries covering four and six months respectively.

Leicesterford City’s debt was therefore not limited to a recent disagreement. It included unpaid wages from the club’s time as JDR Stars FC, before it adopted its current name.

The two players have now received the money identified as outstanding, while the club’s monthly grant has been reduced to cover the payments.