Cardiff City players have told the club’s owner not to enter the dressing room on match days after falling out over bonus payments.

Senior players were unhappy about the initial refusal of Vincent Tan, the Malaysian owner, to agree to a bonus pool, which is accrued on their progress in league and cup competitions and is distributed among all players based on appearances at the end of the season.

Clubs are not obliged to agree to a bonus pool — and it is not written into players’ contracts — but it is common practice for them to do so in the Barclays Premier League. The total pot can range between £3 million and £5 million, shared among the entire squad, and details of the scheme