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.
Singaporeans thrown out of Italian football school
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Singaporeans thrown out of Italian football school
By Ewen Boey | Yahoo! Newsroom – Fri, Oct 21, 2011 -
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I am so sick and tired of hearing SSA, GM Alfred Loi said, we have the money, but just due to some cash flow problem. no money want to boast got $$, wtf.
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Looks like they also do not like Foreign Trash,lol
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no money no talk. dealing with SSA, need to see money first. no money no talk.
people thought using Fandi's name, no financial problem. now Fandi's name is being muddied by this affair.
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si bei malu lol