Former Hibs star Martin Boyle may face a battle to maintain his megabucks deal in Saudi Arabia after it was revealed Al-Faisaly could slash his wages by 30 per cent after their relegation.
The Australian international saw his new club relegated after just 13 games with the club, following a horror end to the season where they won just one of their last ten matches. Boyle looks set to continue his career in the Saudi First Division League with the club he joined in January in a £3 million move from Easter Road.
However, Saudi Arabian sports lawyer, Saud Al-Rumman, has revealed he could be in for a nasty shock if he remains at Al-Faisaly. He said: "The three relegated clubs Al-Ahly, Al-Faisaly and Al-Hazm now have decisions to make with regard to their foreign professionals.
"Firstly, Article 16 in the Professional Regulations and the Conditions of Players and their Transfers stipulates that the club may, in the first season after relegation, have the right to deduct 30 per cent of the salaries of their players. That's provided that the adjusted monthly wage is not less than the minimum monthly wage determined for participating in the Premier League.
"Regarding the foreign players, what usually happens is the clubs make a settlement with the player either by selling them or loaning them out since most do not want to play in the First Division.
"For example, that's what happened last season when the Brazilian Anselmo de Moraes was loaned to Al-Nasr and Ghanaian Samuel Oso was loaned to the Al-Ahly.
"Mostly, nearly all foreigners leave their clubs when they are relegated. Often it's in their contract."
Boyle admitted after leaving the Scottish Premiership in january that he'd love to return to Hibs one day. But that's unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Lee Johnson 's squad are currently in Portugal for a pre-season training camp. They take on Paul Hartley's Hartlepool United in a friendly today.
READ NEXT:
