18 Aug 2008Madejski: Football pros earn too much

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John Madejski has hit out at professional footballers, claiming they are paid too much money.

The Reading chairman claimed that players were receiving "obscene" pay packets and confirmed that he could not afford to offer higher wages in a bid to attract footballers to his side.

Speaking to BBC Radio Berkshire, he said that wages did not need to be as high as they currently are, adding that they had "gone off the Richter scale".

Reading lost their Premier League status at the end of last season and despite the parachute payments, Mr Madejski claims they are feeling the effects.

"The difference between being here and being in the Premiership is a £22m deficit and we still have an enormous squad of players.

"We've sold 14,000 season tickets and I'm delighted about that, but it pales in significance compared to last season," he said.

Reading have been forced to sell several key players to raise funds after their relegation including Dave Kitson and Nicky Shorey.

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