Mariga: Am paying back Parma
Kenya international midfielder Mcdonald Mariga intends to commit himself to Parma FC until the end of the current league season, despite the club’s current financial crisis.
The financial situation at the Italian club is so dire at this moment that the management has failed to clear the playing staff and technical bench’s outstanding salary arrears for the past seven months.
Further more, in tales more common on the local football scene, the team has failed to honour its previous two league fixtures against Udinese and Genoa.
Defaulted lease agreements with the municipality of Parma, loans and other allowance arrears owed to stewards and other club workers make up the club’s Sh 21 billion debt, an amount that sets the stage for century old club to be declared bankrupt by the administrators.
SALARY ARREARS
Despite this situation, and Mariga, who is owed about Sh 75 million in salary arrears backdated to last September, admitting the situation “isn’t at its best”, the former Inter Milan star concedes that he owes it to the club to honour the remainder of his contract which expires in June.
“Parma brought me to Italy when nobody knew me, and offered me a chance (to play) in the elite league,” Mariga told Nairobi News.
“On several other occasions, the club has supported, treated me and paid my salary for months when I was injured. So the least I can do is support them and fulfill my contract with them,” the player added.
The Kenya international also admits his preference to remain in Europe next season, despite sustained interest in his services from Asia and South Africa’s top flight club PSL.
A number of mid table Italian clubs inquired about the player’s services according to his agent Lorenzo Marcheshi.