'I don't want to harm Bayer Leverkusen any further' - Calhanoglu waives salary during suspension
The attacker has been banned for four months over a breached contract with Trabzonspor in 2011 and will not accept his pay from his current club
Hakan Calhanoglu has offered not to accept his wages from Bayer Leverkusen for the duration of his four-month ban, stating that he does not want to hurt the club any more than he has.
The Turkey international was suspended from football after he was found to be in breach of a contract signed with Trabzonspor in 2011.
Calhanoglu had signed a deal with the Turkish side when he was 17, agreeing to play for them from the 2012-13 season onwards. However, he then instead opted to extend his contract with German club Karlsruher SC.
After paying him €100,000 for signing the contract, Trabzonspor took action and FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber ruled in their favour.
The 22-year-old has vowed to come back stronger from his suspension and the club have revealed that, not only will he continue to train with the first-team throughout, he has offered to allow Leverkusen to keep his wages.
"[Calhanoglu] and his current employer Bayer 04 Leverkusen discussed the situation in detail," a statement on their website read. "At the same time, Calhanoglu offered to cancel his full salary including bonuses for the period of the ban."
The midfielder feels it is the right thing to do given the Bundesliga side are an innocent party.
"Bayer have nothing to do with the incidents at that time," he said. "The club was hit hard by the punishment, not just in a sporting sense, but economically too.
"This is why it is self-evident to me that I will not harm the club any further and for the time of my exclusion I will waive my salary."
Leverkusen currently sit ninth in the Bundesliga, nine points behind Hertha Berlin, who occupy the final Europa League spot. Calhanoglu is their star man and is their joint-top goalscorer alongside Javier Hernandez in the league this term, having scored six goals, though he has a further five assists to his name in 15 appearances.
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