Penza, 24 December 2014. PenzaNews. The players of the Penza franchise hockey team “Diesel” will not take part in the Supreme Hockey League championship matches until they receive their salaries, the team captain Evgeny Chesalin informed the sports fans after the house match against “Ermak” from Angara in Diesel-Arena sports complex during his explanation of team’s poor performance.

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“We were writing letters, our fans wrote letters to many people, to the Sports Committee, but we were left without an answer. We, the team and the coaches, have not been paid for two months and a half. We have children, wives, families to keep. We were waiting and waiting for a long time, and now, unfortunately, we have to resort to such radical steps,” he said.

The team captain asked the fans to show understanding and thanked them for support.

In his turn, the head coach of “Diesel” team Andrei Sidorenko said he can no longer restrain his team in this issue.

“Eagerness, passion, dedication, game discipline are vital for our team, and it is very difficult to play without focus when their thoughts wander away. I am very ashamed of the situation, even of myself, and I understand the players very well: the lads go out and defend the honor of Penza, and they are treated like that. Asking somebody to come and explain – zilch. Feel sorry for the fans. Despite it all, the team keeps moving and playing,” he said during a press conference after the match.

The coach also added that “Penza has its own brand, people take it for pleasure to come here and play for their city.”

“Sad to see how it ended up. Penza has great basis and potential, but I see only regress in treatment of hockey sports,” the press service of “Diesel” club quotes the head coach of the team.