Benjani Mwaruwaris English Championship football side Portsmouth might not be able to pay salaries, let alone finish the season due to a biting financial crisis. Benjani has been in the country since the weekend to organise his testimonial match which is set for May 27 at the National Sports Stadium.
Thirty members of staff were told to leave their jobs on Wednesday after Portsmouth administrator Trevor Birch had admitted the club may not have enough money to see out the season.
However, he says he was left with little choice but to make cuts as he tries to ensure the clubs remaining money lasts as long as possible.
We are struggling to make the end of the season, Birch told BBC. He was due to meet player representatives last night where they would be asked to defer some of their wages until the end of the season.
Portsmouth entered administration last week for the second time in three years, for which they were docked 10 points by the Football League to leave them in the Championship relegation zone.
Players and staff have not been paid since December, and chief executive David Lampitt was made redundant on Wednesday along with other senior members of staff. Birch also told fans Pompeys administrator would make the decision over whom the club is sold to – rather than major creditor Balram Chainrai, who is owed 17m.
I feel sorry for them as they have all worked so hard over the past few months in difficult circumstances, but we have to try and get to the end of the season. Thats it now in terms of the redundancies. We dont expect any more; we do it in one fell swoop and hopefully that will take us through to the end of the season.
Pompeys squad is thinning by the week with injuries also limiting manager Michael Appletons options, and Birch revealed that the Football League would not allow them to bring new players in.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
The cash available is worse than we first feared, said Birch.
Some of the bits of assumptions that were made in terms of income to take us forward weve now taken a more conservative view on that. Weve got to conserve the cash to make sure it takes us through to the end of the season.
The Football League will not let us bring any players in and they dont want us to have a competitive advantage when we still owe clubs money. If we have less than 14 fit players then they will allow us to bring someone in.
Birch is open to the idea of a fans, consortium buying the stricken club, adding: We wont rule out at all a supporters trust buying the club if that is the best game in town and certainly we will look at it. They can bid on their own or along with another interested party. Sports Editor/BBC Sport
