Massone says all players and staff will be paid in the next 24 hours

Livingston chairman Angelo Massone has told BBC Sport that every player and member of staff at the West Lothian club will be paid by Tuesday.

Concerns were raised that the club might be in financial difficulty after wages were paid late for a second time.

But Massone told BBC Radio's Sportsound that all was well: "We sent the money from Italy last week and we had a little problem with the bank account.

"Everything is resolved. Everybody will have the money tomorrow, definitely."

Massone is part of an Italian consortium that bought the club last summer.

He sacked team manager Roberto Landi after just five months in the job, with the club in fifth place, six points off the pace in the First Division.

Paul Hegarty was appointed Landi's successor at the beginning of December.

Massone explained why money had to be transferred from Italy each month to cover the running costs.

"At this moment unfortunately Livingston Football Club is not a rich club," he said.

"We have about 1,400 people for matches and we need to put money in every month.

"When I arrived the club was on the same road as Gretna and at this moment we have the possibility of fighting to go to the SPL.

"I am unhappy at the bad publicity that we have received. We are not Celtic or Real Madrid. We need the people's trust. We work 100% for Livingston Football Club and we are sure about the future."

McPake has been at Livingston since 2000 and will move to Coventry City

The Italian continued: "In the world people are losing jobs. I don't want people to lose their jobs at my club. If two times the people have had to wait one or two days, I don't think it is a big problem."

One of Livingston's star players is captain James McPake, who has agreed to move to Coventry City on a free transfer in the summer.

The Midlands side are keen to land him in the transfer window, but Massone would not reveal how much the Sky Blues were prepared to pay for the player to move now.

"James knows that my decision was that he would stay with us until the end of the season. I refused several offers in the summer and I refused today an offer from Coventry," said Massone.

"I prefer that the best players play for Livingston. This is my philosophy. We are not desperate for money and we want our captain to play with us for the rest of the season.

"I don't want money. I want players."

Massone expressed his dismay at what he perceives to be unfair reporting of his club's financial situation in the Scottish press.

"I read the newspapers and I only read about Livingston. It is really clear, the little game around Livingston, in my opinion. Two or three of four people try to create big problems around Livingston."

"If every club is desperate for money, why every day is it easy to read about Livingston and not about other clubs?"

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version