Footballers left homeless after Serbian club goes five months without paying wages

• Players from Serbian First League side GFK Dubocica have released a joint statement highlighting how the club have failed to pay them since the beginning of the season
• The statement says, "families and individuals have been left homeless, which is a direct consequence of carelessness and non-payment"
• Players at the club have called for urgent intervention
  

Footballers from Serbian First League side GFK Dubocica have released a joint statement after going five months without receiving their salaries from the club.

Some players have been left homeless after being unable to pay for accommodation, according to the statement.

"It has been five long months since the last salary was paid," the Dubocica players said in a joint declaration. "We are the only club that has not received a single salary since the beginning of the season. Without basic income, we have been put in a situation that is not only unsustainable but also humiliating.

"Due to unpaid obligations, some of our team-mates have been evicted from their apartments. Families and individuals have been left homeless, which is a direct consequence of carelessness and non-payment."

The statement comes after the players previously staged on-pitch demonstrations to highlight the issue, including sitting down in protest just after kick-off in league games.

There is a possibility that Dubocica will not fulfil their Saturday league fixture against Zemum. "Due to complete financial uncertainty, the playing of some of the next championship matches is under question. It is uncertain whether and how we will manage to travel and fulfil our sporting obligations."

Players call for urgent response to end 'humiliation'

As well as non-payment, the players also highlighted multiple concerning issues at the club.

The statement continued: "Our work is extremely difficult due to the lack of basic conditions for professional functioning. We also emphasise the problem with food, which directly threatens our health and readiness.

"The greatest indicator of irresponsibility is the inability to adequately treat injured players. Injured team-mates cannot be treated in the conditions in which they should, because there are no funds for the necessary therapies, diagnostics and recovery. The situation is alarming."

The players have called for swift action to tackle these issues.

"It is no longer about sports results, but about the fight for bare survival and dignity. We demand an urgent response to solve the accumulated problems, before it is too late for Dubocica and for all of us. We call on all friends of the club to lend a helping hand in this difficult moment.

"Finally, we ask that someone tells us the truth… apart from the coaching staff and the players, there is no one, and most of the club's employees no longer come to the stadium. All this is humiliation."

Union supporting players

Serbian player union SPFN has been supporting the players. SPFN President Mirko Poledica said: "We are in touch with the players every day, it is a very challenging situation they are in. We have provided legal assistance to the players and will remain by their side, hoping to find a positive solution."

The union is of the opinion that Serbia’s football association should have done more to protect the players.

Poledica said: "The FA issued the club a license before the start of the current season, even though they did not meet the financial criteria. In fact, the club falsified the financial documentation they submitted to the Licensing Committee.

"When we provided clear evidence that the club had defrauded the FA, we expected a strong reaction, but there was none. On 5 August 2025, the Licensing Committee filed a request for disciplinary proceedings against the club, but we were never informed whether any decision was made. This is proof that all the problems start with the FA not respecting its own regulations.

"The club should have had its license revoked, and if that had been done, the players would not have had these problems today."

The situation affecting Dubocica players is yet another example of a growing global problem in football. Recently FIFPRO highlighted similar cases in Korea and Colombia, reflecting a wider, systemic issue affecting players worldwide.