Durbar Rajshahi local players skip training as protest for not getting paid by the franchise for their services.
Durbar Rajshahi cancelled their training session in Chattogram on Monday after their Bangladeshi players protested for remaining unpaid by the BPL franchise.
A number of the players, who wished to remain anonymous, acknowledged that they adopted the position in response to multiple payment date changes made by Rajshahi owner Shafique Rahman.
The squad told the media that “the team decided to opt for a rest day today” after the players told the management that they were reluctant to go to training on Monday morning. Soon after, rumours circulated that Rajshahi’s local players, who had been unpaid for the previous two weeks, had compelled the management to make this choice. However, during the team’s fourth game of the season, against Fortune Barishal on January 6, the foreign players and coaching staff received 25% of their total pay.
Following the incident on Monday, BCB president Faruque Ahmed addressed the board directors before meeting with captain Anamul Haque, owner Shafique Rahman, and a number of other players from Rajshahi. However, when board director Manjur Alam gave a press briefing in Chattogram on Monday night, the impasse was still in place.
According to the payment schedule established by the BPL governing council, all players must get 50% of their total fees prior to the competition, 25% during it, and the remaining 25% following it.
“I am speaking on behalf of the BCB president,” Manjur said. “The board president called an emergency board meeting on Zoom. I was physically present, the other directors were online. Negotiations are in process. Hopefully we can come to a solution tomorrow. The president spoke directly to the team owners, captain and players. We have a positive vibe from all parties. They will attend practice tomorrow, which is the most positive part of the negotiation.”
The clubs were also directed by the BPL governing council to provide the BCB with a bank guarantee of BDT 8 crore, or roughly USD 657,000. However, the franchises asked that this amount be reduced to BDT 3 crore, or around USD 246,000. The only team that had paid the BCB the bank guarantee even at that point was Fortune Barishal.
On January 9, some of the local players in Rajshahi had their checks bounce. As a result, the players threatened to cancel their match against the Khulna Tigers on January 10. The players were promised payment on January 14 by team owner Shafique Rahman, but that date again failed to materialise.
The players left Monday’s training session in Chattogram due to the most recent communication breakdown. Many of them have declared that until all local players receive 50% of their salaries, they will not participate in Rajshahi’s upcoming match against Sylhet Strikers on January 17.
The players have been reluctant to speak on record on the payment issue after that, but the mood inside the Rajshahi camp is one of unease.