KUALA LUMPUR: Kelantan player Khairul Helmi Johari has denied the claim by club owner Norizam Tukiman that all the players in the team received RM1,000 each for salary owing.
Khairul claimed that only 20 Kelantan players, not all, received the said amount, and to make matters worse, it was paid on a ''first come, first served'' basis.
"Only 20 people got it. Whoever was quick got it... those who got it should be grateful. I didn't get anything," posted Khairul on his Facebook page.
He also posted the link to the news report saying that Norizam had given RM1,000 to the players before Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
It was reported that Norizam, a businessman, was still working to settle the three months' salaries owing to the players by gradually clearing the debt.
In an explanation on his TikTok page, Norizam said the players' outstanding salaries would be paid in
installments, expressing optimism that the issue would be resolved soon.
"As for the wage issue, today I managed to put in RM1,000 as an advance to pay off the remaining three months' arrears because tomorrow is Eid," said Norizam who mentioned that the video was recorded a day before Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Norizam bought the debt-laden club - when they were in the second-tier Premier League - from Kelantan FA in 2020 during the privatisation of the M-League,
Under Norizam, the east coast side finished second in the 2022 Premier League to gain promotion to the Super League.
However, the cash-strapped Red Warriors finished bottom of the 14-team Super League last season, conceding a whopping 121 goals in 26 matches. Kelantan recorded 22 losses, two wins and two draws.
Kelantan, who sacked two coaches, South Korean Choi Moon Sik and German Frank Bernhardt, were eventually kicked out of the Super League.
