Woodlands in players' bonus row

They were expecting a nice bonus, after helping Woodlands Wellington to their best finish in seven S-League seasons.

So imagine Taufiq Rahmat's and Ridhwan Osman's surprise when they learnt that their reward for contributing to the Rams' fifth-place finish came up to no more than $300 apiece.

"It's so unfair," winger Taufiq told The Straits Times on Monday.

"The club finished bottom of the league for three years. We helped take them into the top five and this is how they repay us?"

His discontent was fuelled by the fact that he had played in 19 of the team's 27 league matches - nine as a starter and 10 coming off the bench.

Ridhwan, meanwhile, was involved in 15 matches this season, which kicked off in February and ended last month.

In contrast, a fellow Ram made just five appearances but earned a $600 bonus for his efforts.

"I clocked quite a lot of playing time, so why should a guy who played less than me be getting more?" Ridhwan questioned.

The midfielder added that the team had been told that any end-of-season bonus would be divided according to playing time - the normal practice among local football clubs.

Club chairman Hussainar Aziz, however, explained that the move was designed to give added motivation to players who will remain at Woodlands next season.

"We decided to reward them more as we see the potential in them and believe that they can further contribute to the development of the club in 2014," he said.

"For those who were not retained, we still gave them bonuses to show the club's appreciation."

It was a decision which midfielder Ridhwan questioned.

"The bonus is for this year; there's no reason next season's players should be getting more," pointed out the 25-year-old who, like Taufiq, has decided to call time on his football career in favour of a role in hospitality.

In response, Hussainar pointed out that the club had already overdelivered by distributing the full $35,000 received for finishing fifth to players and officials.

"At the start of the season, we promised the players and technical staff 50 per cent of the money, should the team finish in the top six," he revealed.

"Based on the determination and performance of the team as a whole, we decided to distribute the full 100 per cent."

"You can't win them all but we believe that we have been more than fair to all players and technical staff, retained or otherwise."

fabiusc@sph.com.sg

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