Reading manager Ruben Sellés has revealed he gave up part of his own salary to ensure other staff were paid instead.
The Spanish boss has been speaking to Marca in Spain regarding the situation at the League One club as they continue to lurch from one crisis to another.
The former Premier League side have been deducted points for three seasons in a row thanks to the mismanagement of owner Dai Yongge, who took over in 2017.
Since that point he has cut corners at every angle, leaving the club almost on the brink of collapse and numerous issues, including staff and players not being paid.
That continued late last year when Reading’s staff were not paid their full salaries for November as Yongge continues to struggle with operating costs at the club.
It’s led to fan revolt in the stands, with fans forcing the weekend clash with Port Vale to be abandoned, and left the club on the cusp of the relegation zone in League One, with only goal difference currently keeping them out of the bottom three.
It’s a less than ideal situation for Sellés, who admits he has given up some of his own wages to ensure other Reading staff are paid.
“Payment day is the last of each month. In November we found that there was not enough money,” he said.
“We managed to activate a means of appeal so that the professional players could get paid and not be sanctioned by the FA.
“They told us that in a few days we would receive an injection of capital and, well, I told the club that the percentage that I received should be redistributed among other employees who needed it more: the secretary, the gardener… I could wait.
“I learned to save in other situations in my career. Mark Bowen, the CEO, did the same. I don’t think it’s anything extraordinary.”
