Wages saga could tarnish Scottish game, says Higgins

THE ongoing wage situation at Hearts could have a long-lasting impact on the whole of Scottish football according to PFA Scotland president Tony Higgins.

His views add credence to the concerns privately being espoused by anxious agents and disgruntled players. They fear the prolonged saga, which has already seen players at the Tynecastle outfit being forced to wait 19 days for last month’s wages before being informed that the club currently do not have the funds available to honour their November salaries, could eat away at the country’s international reputation and scare away foreign playing talent.

With the players enduring another period of uncertainty, Higgins, who is also a board member of Fifpro, the world players’ union, has claimed that if word of Hearts’ problems spreads outwith these borders then the reputation of all Scottish clubs may be besmirched.

“We are hoping that the Hearts situation remains a problem limited to Hearts,” said Higgins, who attended the recent Fifpro Congress in Tel Aviv. That coincided with last month’s delayed payments at the capital club and was a source of disquiet as he and PFA Scotland chief executive Fraser Wishart discussed similar issues which have dogged the game in countries such as Spain and Italy and throughout eastern Europe. But the hope is that the situation at Hearts can be resolved sooner rather than later before Scotland is included in the list of errant payers.

“At Fifpro we have a list of 10-12 countries in the world that we actively advise players to be aware of. We say that if they are going there then they have to realise that they are taking a real risk. These are countries which have earned a reputation for not paying signing on fees, paying wages, covering a player when he is injured and where players have suffered intimidation. People know that these countries have a poor, poor record, so we warn players what they might expect.

“Until now, in western Europe, and here in Scotland, we have a reputation in world football where players going to play in these countries know that their contracts will be honoured.”

Indeed players have often cited that as one of the major lures of Scottish football, while Scottish players have resisted the pounds signs which flash in front of their eyes when clubs from certain countries come calling, preferring to stay where they felt they could, historically, bank on their wages being paid in full and on time.

Higgins added: “Players have said in the past, ‘get me a club in Scotland. I know I might get less money there than somewhere else but at least the money is guaranteed’. In eastern Europe, for example, players might be promised more money but there’s the risk they’ll have to wait for it. Here we have had a reputation for tight contracts and at least players coming here knew they would get the money they had been promised.”

Through the intervention of Fifa’s dispute resolution chamber, complaints from players in other leagues around the world are usually upheld and outstanding monies are paid out, but the stress and uncertainty of having to explore such channels is a price a lot of players are unwilling to pay.

“Players invariably get their money back but sometimes it can take a year or two,” said Higgins. “At the moment, here it is only Hearts and, I would hope it would be resolved or at least remain an isolated issue, but we do not want to obtain that kind of reputation as it will then become very difficult for every club here to then attract half-decent players.”

With an increasing number of Scotland’s best homegrown talent accepting the inflated salaries being offered down south, without quality from abroad coming in to fill the voids in teams, the fear is that Scotland could become even more of a footballing backwater.

“Football is a global game now and players talk to their compatriots and word soon gets out,” said Higgins. “Players and agents all know which countries are the worst and it would be terrible if we let this affect our reputation as a football nation.”