The Footballers Union of South Africa (FUSA) has commented on Royal AM president Shauwn Mkhize's recent actions concerning the troubled KwaZulu-Natal club.
Royal AM have been expelled as a member of the NSL following a failure to fulfil the rest of their fixtures as from January, owing to financial troubles at the side.
According to a Sunday newspaper report, in an attempt to counter the PSL's arguments, Mkhize revealed the salaries of the Royal AM players in her court papers.
READ: Zamalek stance on Pitso 'revealed'
"As FUSA, we believe it is not appropriate to expose players' salaries in this manner. This is especially concerning when some of those players are unemployed and actively seeking jobs," says Taelo 'Salter' Motloung of FUSA.
"By disclosing their salaries, she risks scaring away other clubs from signing them. Clubs may assume they cannot afford such salaries, which compounds the issue.
"As a club owner, such actions are unacceptable, unless there is a minimum wage regulation in our football. If that were the case, what she did would not be a problem. However, the manner in which she did it suggests her intent was to deter other clubs and potential suitors, or to publicly expose the players.
"While FUSA advocates for transparency and fair treatment of our members, we understand that players may feel embarrassed by this revelation, though not to the extent of seeking counseling. In overseas leagues, players' salaries are not kept secret, and since they are public figures, people should be aware of what professionalism in football entails," he adds.
Motloung says it is, however, disgraceful to discover that a player at a professional club is earning only R3 500, noting it constitutes victimization at worst.
"This is the kind of information that should be exposed. It would not be inappropriate to disclose players' salaries if we had a minimum wage in this country. For instance, if the Motsepe Foundation Championship had a minimum wage of R20 000 or R30 000, and the PSL had a minimum wage of R50,000, we wouldn't criticise MaMkhize's actions.
READ: 'Bobby called me and told me I want you to play for Chiefs'
"But because there is no minimum wage, players are made to look foolish in the eyes of jealous neighbours and relatives, who might say: 'Look, these people are bragging about their sons who only earn R5 000 a month.'"
"In this case, I believe it should be the player who reveals their salary, not the chairman. MaMkhize has made her players a laughing stock. What has she accomplished by doing this?"
As it stands, the Betway Premiership remains a 15-team league until the end of the season, with the team finishing 15th set to battle two second-tier sides (second- and third-placed) in the play-offs.
