Big Leicester City off-pitch update emerges - it's sparked 'backlash' | OneFootball

Leicester City have informed the club's staff that they will not be paid for December, sparking backlash

Leicester City has informed its staff that they will not receive their wages in December, but this is reportedly not related to the club's ongoing financial difficulties.

It hasn't been the dream return to the EFL Championship that Leicester City had hoped for, with constant off-field issues hanging over the club like a dark cloud. Foxes' staff have not been informed that they won't receive their expected wages before Christmas.

As reported by John Percy via X, Leicester have sparked backlash after informing their staff that they will not be paid December's salary before Christmas, but insist it is not because of financial issues.

The Foxes are already expecting a six-point deduction before too long due to allegedly breaching PSR regulations during the 2023/24 campaign when they were last in the Championship.

This news will come as unwelcome to many around the club, as the Foxes finally started to hit some form under Spanish boss Marti Cifuentes, another unwanted issue has come about to dampen moods once more.

Leicester City will not pay their staff before Christmas as expected

The Foxes are now under scrutiny for their decision not pay staff before Christmas as what was expected.

Indeed, Leicester won the Premier League and played Champions League football less than a decade ago, but now find themselves with ongoing financial issues off the pitch, causing controversy with its own staff, and looking unlikely to mount a serious promotion push.

A six-point deduction has lingered over the club for a while now, with it being a formality that the Foxes will face that penalty for breaching PSR issues two years ago.

Indeed, Foxes staff will be paid, eventually, but the traditional payment before Christmas has now been delayed, with the club now having "aligned payroll dates across the King Power Group”.

In an email sent to staff, Kamonthip Netthanomsak, the interim managing director, wrote: “Hi all – You should have received an email regarding the alignment of payroll dates across the King Power Group.

“We can appreciate the timing of this decision is not ideal and that staff may subsequently have financial commitments they were planning to meet with the benefit of an earlier pay day before Christmas.

“Should any staff require particular support in this regard, the process will be treated in confidence and we will do our best to provide support where it is needed.”

It appears to be an unfortunate situation which merely required a larger notice period, but with the issues at the club already rife and the club finally starting to put results together on the pitch, this news will be damning to many around the club and, at best, deflate the atmosphere around the place.

Leicester's decision to delay payment to staff may massively backfire both on and off the pitch

With the impending points deduction looming over them like a bad smell, Leicester have not had it easy upon their return to the division, nor has head coach Marti Cifuentes.

The Foxes signed just one player on a permanent deal in the summer, 40-year-old goalkeeper Asmir Begovic on a free transfer, with Aaron Ramsey, Julian Carranza, and Jordan James all joining on loan for the season.

This has left the club with many of the players who endured their relegation campaign, unable to replace much of the core of the squad, despite the departures of the likes of Wilfried Ndidi, Jamie Vardy, and Bilal El Khannouss.

The decision to delay payments to staff will likely not be received well at all, with the Christmas period often the busiest and most expensive time of the year.

Had the club properly prepared for this outcome and given a much longer notice, then the news wouldn't have come so damning, but with less than a week to go until Christmas day, it certainly isn't the Christmas miracle that staff at the club would have hoped for, and may cause a catastrophic effect both on and off the pitch for Leicester.