Don't Miss

India's CWG 2026 Medal Tally Lowest In 24 Years, Yet Among The Best

Tactical Self-Destruction: How England Threw Away Their World Cup Final Dream

Bundesliga Blueprint: How Zee Plans To Complete India's Football Jigsaw

Manuel Neuer Doesn't Know Where To Stop: Not On The Pitch, Not In His Career

Advertisement

ENG

Dark / Light mode

Oct 9,2026 04:28 PM IST

Didier Drogba to return as salary row rumbles

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

Settings

Select Language

Dark / Light mode

Search

Football

arrow-down reddit snapchat twitter facebook comments email printer search bell top-nav reddit-fill snapchat-fill twitter-fill facebook-fill share whatsapp-fill bookmark arrow-rgt arrow-next arrow-up refresh close link cog star book zap cricket football tennis formula-1 badminton hockey golf boxing ndtv-n check left-arrow right-arrow

Live Cricket Matches

India Matches

IPL 2026

Football Matches

ISL

EPL

All Matches

India Matches

EPL

Sports Home Football News Didier Drogba to return as salary row rumbles

Related Articles

Story ProgressBack to home

Didier Drogba to return as salary row rumbles

Former Chelsea star Didier Drogba was set to return from international duty Thursday and into a row at his Shanghai Shenhua squad that has seen teammates reportedly refuse to practise over unpaid wages.

Read Time: 2 min

Shanghai:

Former Chelsea star Didier Drogba was set to return from international duty Thursday and into a row at his Shanghai Shenhua squad that has seen teammates reportedly refuse to practise over unpaid wages.

Shenhua players were said by Chinese media to have protested on Monday over the pay dispute, turning up late for practice at the club's training ground and taking a leisurely stroll around a running track. Media reports have said payments to some players were skipped.

However, the team will play its next game on Saturday as scheduled, club and league officials said Thursday, in comments suggesting the dispute had been laid to rest.

Training had returned to normal after the one-day protest, a club official told AFP, declining further comment.

Drogba returns after scoring twice in Ivory Coast's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Senegal on Saturday that had to be abandoned in the second half because of rioting fans.

A spokeswoman for the Chinese Football Association told AFP that a scheduled match between ninth-placed Shenhua and Changchun Yatai, who are two places higher, would kick off as scheduled on Saturday.

"The match will be on as planned," he said.

Chinese media have reported that Shenhua's chief investor Zhu Jun has threatened to withhold salaries of players unless he is granted majority control of the club.

It was not clear whether the threat was the reason behind the reportedly unpaid wages.

In a posting on his microblog on Wednesday, the flamboyant online gaming tycoon said he "solemnly respected and understood" the action by the players on Monday.

Previous reports had said that under a 2007 deal, Zhu's 28.5 percent stake in Shenhua would to rise to around 70 percent if he invested more than 150 million yuan ($24 million). He has reportedly spent 600 million yuan.

China's Soccer News newspaper reported Thursday that the dispute was likely to be settled by the end of this year with major shareholders allowing Zhu's share of the club to increase to above 70 percent.

Featured Video Of The Day

CWG 2026 Weightlifting Gold Medallist, Mirabai Chanu Get Hero's Welcome in Delhi

Topics mentioned in this article

Football Didier Drogba Nicolas Anelka Chelsea

Get the Latest Cricket, Asian Games 2026, Football , Hockey, Badminton Scores, F1 Results at NDTV Sports. Like Us On Facebook Or Follow Us On Twitter For More Sports Updates. You Can Also Download The NDTV Cricket App For Android Or iOS.

Advertisement

Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com

Advertisement

Advertisement

Players - Top Goals

Player Matches Goals Haaland Haaland Manchester City 5 5 Isak Isak Liverpool 5 4 Groß Groß Brighton & Hove Albion 5 3 B. Fernandes B. Fernandes Manchester United 5 3 Marcus Tavernier Marcus Tavernier AFC Bournemouth 5 3

Player Matches Assists Groß Groß Brighton & Hove Albion 5 3 Daichi Daichi Crystal Palace 5 3 Gakpo Gakpo Liverpool 5 3 Semenyo Semenyo Manchester City 5 3 Francisco Evanilson Francisco Evanilson AFC Bournemouth 5 3

No Teams MP Goals GA 1 Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion 5 16 5 2 Manchester City Manchester City 5 13 5 3 Brentford Brentford 5 10 4 4 Chelsea Chelsea 5 10 12 5 Newcastle United Newcastle United 5 9 9

No Teams MP Goals Assists 1 Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion 5 16 11 2 Manchester City Manchester City 5 13 10 3 Chelsea Chelsea 5 10 9 4 Newcastle United Newcastle United 5 9 8 5 Arsenal Arsenal 5 8 6

Full Stats

Full Stats

Full Stats

Full Stats

Now Trending

Advertisement

Trending Links

Follow us on:

facebook

twitter

Cricket

Football

More Sports

Formula 1 Tennis Hockey Badminton Golf Nba Kabaddi Shooting Swimming Table Tennis

This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics © Copyright NDTV Convergence Limited 2026. All rights reserved.