Cash-strapped Bradford's administrators sacked the 19 players to reduce the �20,000-a-day wage bill.

But the Football League have backed the PFA's call by stressing that their insolvency policy requires players' contracts to be honoured.

Joint adminstrator Mike Moore is confident of putting a deal in place with a buyer in three weeks, bringing the Bantams out of administration.

PFA chief executive Mick McGuire said: "Our position is crystal clear. If a club exits administration then they must pay off all their football creditors, that is the players.

"Potential buyers must be fully aware of their obligations and players have to be paid up in full.

"If the new buyers are not prepared to do that, then they should go and join the Northern Premier League."

"We are delighted to get such strong Football League backing on this issue.

"We were hoping they would steadfastly stick to their insolvency policy and that has happened."

McGuire warned that failure to settle with Bradford's players could set a precedent.

He said: "If administrators choose to disregard regulations in this way that has far-reaching implications for football as a whole.

"Players can then unilaterally breach contracts in the way the Bradford administrators have done.

"If everyone disregarded what they had promised, that would set a precedent and a base mark for other clubs to do that.

"It sends its own message to Bradford when a club behave as dishonourably as this.

"It's disgusting and puts the whole game in jeopardy."

'Hypocritical'

McGuire also accused Bradford of hypocrisy in the wake of the ITV Digital collapse.

McGuire claimed: "They have made a big play that Carlton and Granada (who owned ITV Digital) have ignored contracts they cannot afford to pay - but they have done the same thing.

"Seventy two clubs are looking at this and the majority of those clubs will be disgusted at the stance of the administrators."

Meanwhile, Andy Myers, one of the 19 to have had their contracts terminated, said striker Benito Carbone was not to blame for the club's financial crisis.

Carbone was Bradford's highest earner and was thought to collect �40,000 a week.

"You can't blame him, you've got to look at the mistakes that have been made upstairs," said Myers.