Unpaid wages and players' silence: inside Goiás' crisis | OneFootball

In 11th place with 42 points, Goiás sees escaping relegation as the club’s first objective in the Brasileirão Serie B. According to the competition’s history, that goal should be achieved with one more win. After that, the club will begin looking at its chances of breaking into the G6, which would give it the opportunity to fight for promotion to the first division.

In theory, the situation is not that complicated. However, the club’s turbulent environment has hurt the squad’s performances in recent months. The peak of the problem may have come last Sunday, the 20th, when the players refused to give interviews after the 2-1 win over Avaí. Head coach Mozart also did not speak to the press in solidarity with the squad.

The silence was a protest against the board over the financial crisis affecting the club. To give an idea, Goiás players are two months behind on wages. In addition, the club also owes two months of image rights payments and five win bonuses.

Besides the players, the club’s employees are also behind on pay. Goiás owes the staff at least one month’s salary. The board promised to pay part of the overdue wages last week. As the agreement was not honored, the players opted for the silent protest, which was explained by part of the squad in an open letter published on social media.

Read the Goiás players’ letter

To the Goiás fans,

What happened at the end of the match against Avaí was not an easy decision. On the contrary. For us players, staying silent before the press was a way of expressing something that for some time now we have been trying to resolve internally, through dialogue, respect, and trust.

We take the field, train, and work every day honoring a shirt that represents millions of people. And we continue doing so even in the face of a reality that has been difficult for all of us.

There are overdue payments, including amounts related to wages under the CLT, image rights, and bonuses. Week after week, we live with promises of regularization and with the expectation that the commitments made will be fulfilled.

Even so, at no point have we stopped working.

We train. We play. We travel. We give everything in every match. We win games. We fight for Goiás on the field. We have done what has always been asked of us: honor the shirt and represent the club in the best way possible.

And we will continue doing so.

Our stance is not an action against Goiás Esporte Clube. Much less against the fans, who have always been by our side and deserve all our respect. It is precisely because we respect the club, the institution, and those who work for it that we understand it is necessary to make public a situation that can no longer be dealt with only behind closed doors.

And there is an even greater reason for this movement.

We are not speaking only for ourselves.

We are also speaking for Goiás’s employees, especially those who earn the lowest wages and face even greater difficulties when their pay is not made on time.

They are professionals who arrive early, work every day, and take care of the club’s structure, the fields, cleaning, food, security, service, and so many other essential duties that make football possible.

They are people who, like us, have families, bills to pay, and responsibilities that cannot wait.

That is why our silence yesterday was also for them.

We know the responsibility we carry when we wear this shirt. We know the fans are not to blame for the club’s internal problems and that, on the field, they expect commitment, dedication, and results from us.

And that is exactly what we have been trying to deliver.

But we are workers too. We have commitments, families, and rights. What we ask is simple: that the commitments made be honored and that everyone who works for Goiás be treated with respect and dignity.

Our intention is not to create conflict. It is to seek a solution.

We want Goiás to be strong, organized, and united. We want to focus our attention exclusively on football, training, matches, and the objective we all share: seeing Goiás where it deserves to be.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.