Quess East Bengal players are in danger of losing their April salary too if they do not give in writing that all their dues have been cleared by the club, sources associated with the developments said.
According to one source, Quess, the investors, would be meeting the players sometime in May and table their reasons for activating force majeure to terminate the contracts of all the players and coaching staff. The contracts were valid till May 31, 2020.
“Quess is waiting for the lockdown to be over. At this point in time we have no idea till when it will continue. Once things get back to normal, the investors will have a meeting with the players and make them understand that it had no other option but to activate the force majeure clause.
“The players will first have to give in writing that all the dues have been cleared, otherwise it would be difficult for them to get their April salary also. It’s a normal practice to ask for a No Due Certificate when you go for a full and final settlement,” someone tracking the developments closely said.
“And if they do not sign, Quess East Bengal may not give the No Objection Certificate, without which the players would not be able to move to another club.”
Neither Quess nor East Bengal officials could be reached for a comment.
Quess, in an email on Saturday, had told the players that their contracts would be terminated on April 30 and they will not be getting the salary for the month of May. On Monday, Quess informed the players and coaching staff that they need not worry about the accommodation and other things till May 31.
“Everything will be taken care of. In fact, they also got the performance bonus recently. When the League was called off, Quess East Bengal were second in the standings,” the source stressed.
The email had triggered confusion among the players on their accommodation etc after May 1.
The players and the coaching staff on Monday decided to wait till April 30 for a reply from Quess. They had sent a mail (individually as well as a group) on Sunday to the Bangalore-based company’s chairman (Ajit Isaac) and CEO of Quess East Bengal (Sanjit Sen) voicing their resentment. “We will wait till Thursday and then ask FPAI (Football Players Association of India) to look into the matter,” one player said.
“They can, of course, come to the Players Status Committee and ask for justice, if they want to. I do not know about the player contracts in East Bengal, but if they think they have got a raw deal, they will get justice,” All India Football Federation secretary Kushal Das told The Telegraph.
Das, however, said if it’s found that contractual obligations were violated, then Quess East Bengal would have to pay the compensation.
“In our records, the registered club is Quess East Bengal. As of now, if at all there is any compensation to be paid, the liability will be with the registered entity.”
East Bengal are now praying that if the players want to knock on the doors of AIFF, they do it fast. Quess East Bengal, after all, will cease to exist from June 1.
The same day ATK and Mohun Bagan officially merge and become one entity.
