boneym
21/03/2008, 10:10 AM
As you can see from the article below Dundalk FC CEO is taking on the PFAI especially MR ( unfinished business) Mc Guinness, ( from www.dundalkfc.com (http://www.dundalkfc.com) )
19 MARCH 2008: A MESSAGE FROM GERRY MATTHEWS http://www.dundalkfc.com/images/clubdirectory/GerryMatthews_Headshot.JPGI have asked the website team to allow me to inform Dundalk fans of the events of the weekend. An article appeared in the Daily Star on Saturday claiming that our Captain Aidan Lynch and Trevor Vaughan had alerted the PFAI over the non-payment of wages. However, it is now clear that this was incorrect and at no stage did Trevor or Aidan complain to the PFAI about any issues. This article caused justifiable concern among our supporters and I wish to set the record straight as to events since last Thursday night.
Firstly, I admit that there was some confusion over the start date of players receiving their first week’s wages. The players’ contracts began on the 7th March. The first week of the contract is a “line-week”. Only six days had passed of that line-week by last Thursday’s match against Monaghan United, so I believed that the players were not due their first week’s wages until this week. On Thursday night and Friday, I spoke with John Gill and heard the players’ point of view. After discussing the issue with John. I could see where they were coming from. They had been training all week in the lead-up to the Shelbourne match and then another week had gone by in the lead-up to the Monaghan match. I received advice and backing that my interpretation was strictly speaking correct. However, sometimes what is the norm in business does not apply in the football industry.
Therefore, as a gesture of goodwill, I agreed with John Gill on Friday to pay the players one week in advance. Neither the football club nor the players acted inappropriately. It was a genuine misunderstanding that was resolved on Friday between John Gill and myself. As always, I found John Gill extremely helpful and understanding, and we were able to work together to resolve the problem internally as any good management structure should. I believed it to have been a minor issue and that all had been resolved.
The resolution to the problem on Friday was complicated on Saturday, however, by the appearance of the story in the Daily Star. The PFAI made it sound like they came riding in on a white horse to save the day when, in fact, myself and John Gill had resolved the problem very easily on Friday. When I heard about the story on Saturday, I admit I was very angry and I thought that the players had acted improperly. At this stage, I was ready to reverse my decision to pay the wages in advance.
However, while I don’t doubt Paul Lennon’s integrity and how he presented the information that was supplied to him, the article contained a number of inaccuracies. The PFAI have said that there was “dozens” of phone calls between them and the club. Not once was I or any member of the board of management contacted. No calls were received at the Oriel Park office all day either. Myself and the board are in control of the club, so why they failed to contact us and instead spoke to our team manager is a bizarre way of carrying out their affairs. I am also upset that Fran Gavin also spoke to our manager instead of contacting us directly. I know he has come from the PFAI, but surely now that he is the Director of the Eircom League, he should treat us with some respect.
Also, having met with Aidan Lynch and Trevor Vaughan on Tuesday night, it is clear that they had not complained to the PFAI. They were very upset and disgusted that their names were used in association with this issue in the Daily Star. I would like to assert my appreciation for the way Aidan and Trevor have handled themselves following the publication of this article. They instigated the meeting last night in order to make it clear to me that they did not contact the PFAI to make any complaints.
It has been suggested to me that we are being singled out for some reason.I don’t know if that is the case, but I have to wonder why the PFAI would actually turn a resolved situation into a big drama and cause us to review an agreement between the club and the playing squad.
The PFAI should be fully supportive of Dundalk FC. Not once in my tenure have any problems with players’ wages arose and never will there be a problem in the future. We treat the players superbly well at Dundalk FC. We have even taken steps to allow the players a representative who can meet with the board to discuss any issues of concern.
The PFAI are doing their members a disservice by playing games in the media in an attempt to undermine us. The PFAI have now forced me to speak publicly on this issue as I must defend the name of Dundalk FC to our supporters, players and sponsors. I believe that such comments from the PFAI damage our standing in the community along with potential and existing sponsors and cause anxiety with our fans. If Mr. McGuinness and the PFAI think they can bully or intimidate me or Dundalk FC, they are very much mistaken. I am in consultation with our solicitors with a view to possible further action.
19 MARCH 2008: A MESSAGE FROM GERRY MATTHEWS http://www.dundalkfc.com/images/clubdirectory/GerryMatthews_Headshot.JPGI have asked the website team to allow me to inform Dundalk fans of the events of the weekend. An article appeared in the Daily Star on Saturday claiming that our Captain Aidan Lynch and Trevor Vaughan had alerted the PFAI over the non-payment of wages. However, it is now clear that this was incorrect and at no stage did Trevor or Aidan complain to the PFAI about any issues. This article caused justifiable concern among our supporters and I wish to set the record straight as to events since last Thursday night.
Firstly, I admit that there was some confusion over the start date of players receiving their first week’s wages. The players’ contracts began on the 7th March. The first week of the contract is a “line-week”. Only six days had passed of that line-week by last Thursday’s match against Monaghan United, so I believed that the players were not due their first week’s wages until this week. On Thursday night and Friday, I spoke with John Gill and heard the players’ point of view. After discussing the issue with John. I could see where they were coming from. They had been training all week in the lead-up to the Shelbourne match and then another week had gone by in the lead-up to the Monaghan match. I received advice and backing that my interpretation was strictly speaking correct. However, sometimes what is the norm in business does not apply in the football industry.
Therefore, as a gesture of goodwill, I agreed with John Gill on Friday to pay the players one week in advance. Neither the football club nor the players acted inappropriately. It was a genuine misunderstanding that was resolved on Friday between John Gill and myself. As always, I found John Gill extremely helpful and understanding, and we were able to work together to resolve the problem internally as any good management structure should. I believed it to have been a minor issue and that all had been resolved.
The resolution to the problem on Friday was complicated on Saturday, however, by the appearance of the story in the Daily Star. The PFAI made it sound like they came riding in on a white horse to save the day when, in fact, myself and John Gill had resolved the problem very easily on Friday. When I heard about the story on Saturday, I admit I was very angry and I thought that the players had acted improperly. At this stage, I was ready to reverse my decision to pay the wages in advance.
However, while I don’t doubt Paul Lennon’s integrity and how he presented the information that was supplied to him, the article contained a number of inaccuracies. The PFAI have said that there was “dozens” of phone calls between them and the club. Not once was I or any member of the board of management contacted. No calls were received at the Oriel Park office all day either. Myself and the board are in control of the club, so why they failed to contact us and instead spoke to our team manager is a bizarre way of carrying out their affairs. I am also upset that Fran Gavin also spoke to our manager instead of contacting us directly. I know he has come from the PFAI, but surely now that he is the Director of the Eircom League, he should treat us with some respect.
Also, having met with Aidan Lynch and Trevor Vaughan on Tuesday night, it is clear that they had not complained to the PFAI. They were very upset and disgusted that their names were used in association with this issue in the Daily Star. I would like to assert my appreciation for the way Aidan and Trevor have handled themselves following the publication of this article. They instigated the meeting last night in order to make it clear to me that they did not contact the PFAI to make any complaints.
It has been suggested to me that we are being singled out for some reason.I don’t know if that is the case, but I have to wonder why the PFAI would actually turn a resolved situation into a big drama and cause us to review an agreement between the club and the playing squad.
The PFAI should be fully supportive of Dundalk FC. Not once in my tenure have any problems with players’ wages arose and never will there be a problem in the future. We treat the players superbly well at Dundalk FC. We have even taken steps to allow the players a representative who can meet with the board to discuss any issues of concern.
The PFAI are doing their members a disservice by playing games in the media in an attempt to undermine us. The PFAI have now forced me to speak publicly on this issue as I must defend the name of Dundalk FC to our supporters, players and sponsors. I believe that such comments from the PFAI damage our standing in the community along with potential and existing sponsors and cause anxiety with our fans. If Mr. McGuinness and the PFAI think they can bully or intimidate me or Dundalk FC, they are very much mistaken. I am in consultation with our solicitors with a view to possible further action.