Brazilian clubs to lose points for salary delays

Brazilian clubs will be docked points for delayed salary payments under a move approved by the country's football federation (CBF) on Monday.

The proposal won unanimous support from club representatives during a meeting with CBF officials in Rio de Janeiro.

Officials are yet to agree on the scope of penalties and how players will report infractions.

"This is an important step," Vasco da Gama president Eurico Miranda said.

"Clubs have to stop making commitments that that they are not able to fulfill."

The plan was criticized by Brazil's Bom Senso movement, which defends the rights of local players.

The group's director, Ricardo Martins, said a similar measure introduced in Sao Paulo's state league had failed.

"It is absolutely inefficient," Martins said. "In four years [in Sao Paulo] only two or three clubs have been punished."

"It hinges on the player making a complaint. This tends not to work because he has no reason to take action against the club. It is the opposite: the player is reluctant to make it known."

Reports of late salary payments among Brazil's Serie A clubs have been increasingly common in recent years.

Many players now demand clauses in new deals that stipulate heavy penalties - and even the annulment of contracts - if wages are not paid on time.

The Brazilian Serie A season begins on May 9. Endi