Bangor City face football ban unless they settle wage bill of more than £50,000

Pay back more than £50,000 owed to players and staff or be banned “from all football-related activity”.

That’s the situation facing Bangor City FC following a Football Association of Wales hearing this week.

Yesterday (Friday), the FAW disciplinary panel ruled that in excess of £53,000 in unpaid wages and related costs must be paid within 31 days of October 29, 2021.

The Cymru North club can challenge the decision and has until November 8 to do so.

Ex-head coach Hugo Colace and players Enzo Agustin Zicarelli and Juan Ignacio Torres Matanza are some of those owed.

Assistant manager Ricardo Pellegrino and head of sport science and medicine Luke Bailey have also not received expected wages.

Chris O’Neal, former member of the Bangor City management group and renowned advisor to many North Wales football clubs, represented the five men at the hearings.

The FAW released this statement on Friday: “A Disciplinary Panel of the Football Association of Wales was recently convened to consider a number of disputes from personnel of Bangor City FC in accordance with FAW Rules 39.2.5 and 43.2 for the alleged non-payment of salaries.

“After carefully considering the written and verbal evidence submitted, the Panel decided that Bangor City FC must pay all outstanding monies to the complainants.

“In accordance with FAW Rule 49, this must be paid within 31 days as and from 29 October 2021.

“Failure to comply with the order within 31 days will result in an automatic suspension from all football related activity for the club and until compliance with the order.

“Bangor City FC and/or the complainants may refer this matter to an Appeals Panel in accordance with FAW Rules 43.2.3 & 44.1.3 and written notice of such action must be received by the FAW no later than 4:30 pm on Monday, 8 November 2021.”

On Wednesday, the club announced Colace had been dismissed as head coach.

In a statement on social media, Bangor City criticised Colace’s conduct, alleging “activities with third parties”, and cited “poor performances of the team and a worrying disciplinary record” as reasons behind the termination of his contract.

City have received nine red cards since the start of the 2021-22 season and currently lie ninth in the tier 2 Cymru North table.

Colace intends to challenge his Bangor dismissal at the FAW and through legal channels, and denies allegations made against him by the club.

He insists he did everything within his power to make a success of his role, which he took up in June 2020 following six months at the club as a player and head of youth development.

On the same day as the FAW’s ruling, Bangor announced its former manager Pedro Pasculli, who won the 1986 World Cup with Argentina, had returned to Nantporth to take on the role of sporting director and run the academy.

Cameroonian Maturin Ovambe, who previously worked at Bangor under Pasculli, is now first team manager at the club.

Domenico Serafino took over ownership of Bangor City in 2019. Recent media investigations have suggested the club’s financial situation has been less than stable.

On October 17, Serafino promised supporters “transparency and sustainability” in relation to the club’s future.