Loris Karius files FIFA complaint against Besiktas

The German goalkeeper claims he has not been paid for the past four months.

Loris Karius has filed an official complaint against Besiktas with FIFA over unpaid wages stretching back four months. The German goalkeeper claims the Turkish club owe him more than €1 million.

FIFA have confirmed that they have received a claim from Karius against Besiktas.

According reports, the former Mainz goalkeeper initially filed the complaint against Besiktas on February 20. Besiktas are reported to have already missed a payment deadline which could see them punished with a point deduction or a ban from international competitions.

The 25-year-old joined The Black Eagles on a two-year loan from Liverpool in the summer of 2018 but his time at the Turkish club has been marred by inconsistent performances for which he as been heavily criticized by the club’s fans as well as the club’s coach Senol Gunes recently.

After seeing his team scrape by minnows Konyaspor with a 3-2 win, Gunes was critical of the German goalkeeper during a post-game press conference, saying he would play veteran goalkeeper Tolga Zengin if he could.

“Karius’ electricity, motivation is down. Something is wrong with him. Let me say this; If I had Tolga, I would play him,” the Turkish coach said as he addressed questions from reporters.

Gunes at the Konyaspor post-game press conference.

Reports in Turkey are suggesting Besiktas are considering ending Karius’ loan at the end of the season.

As Karius’ name made headlines in Turkey, Besiktas winger Gokhan Tore took to his Twitter account to explain that he, too, has not been paid by the club for the past nine months. Tore, who has been benched by Gunes since the beginning of the season, is set to leave the club in the summer.

“I found out that I won’t be in the lineup two days before the end of the January transfer window and I couldn’t get a response from the club about the reason for my exclusion,” Tore said.

The 27-year-old winger was last included in the lineup during the league game against Kasimpasa in December but remained on the bench. His contract with the Black Eagles ends in June.

Like almost all Super Lig clubs, Besiktas are struggling with massive amounts of debt for which club president Fikret Orman has been heavily criticized. With debts totaling 2.49 billion Turkish Lira, Besiktas are seventh on the list of Turkish clubs with the most debt.

Karius and Tore are the latest players to find themselves on the list of names who have bumped heads with Besiktas over unpaid wages. Negredo, Vagner Love and Pepe left the club earlier in the season due to the club’s financial woes.