No pay without play for Boghossian

Clear consicience
A former French international, Boghossian instructed relegation-threatened Espanyol to suspend his salary so he would have a clear conscience about taking time off to recover after four months of despair.

Relegation zone
The 32-year-old joined the Spanish side from Parma AC during the summer but has played only three matches, during which he injured his groin, right thigh, foot, left knee and right calf. "I took the decision, alone, to give up on my salary until I come back on a pitch," Boghossian said, adding that he was deeply upset at not being able to help the club, who are languishing in the relegation zone with only 17 points from 18 games.

'Catastrophic situation'
"The club is experiencing a catastrophic situation and the pressure is terrible," he said. "That is also the reason I don't want to get paid anymore, to be able to recover calmly and respect the time my injuries need to heal. My enthusiasm to play football is intact and I still want to have fun on a pitch. The day I don't have that desire anymore then I will probably retire."

Redondo's lead
Boghossian has followed Fernando Redondo's lead after the Argentinian international told AC Milan to stop paying him. The elegant midfield player joined the Italian club shortly after Real Madrid CF's UEFA Champions League triumph in 2000, but soon damaged his right knee sufficiently to require three operations.

December return
When it was announced that he would need surgery for a third time, Redondo said he would forego his €4.9m annual salary: "I came to Milan to play and they will only have to pay me when I do just that." He finally returned to competitive action on 3 December 2002, appearing for Milan in the first 45 minutes of an Italian Cup third round first-leg match against Ancona Calcio.