Maurizio Setti said he had the funds to pay the Hellas Verona players but decided not to. Mario Carlini / Iguana Press/Getty Images

Hellas Verona president Maurizio Setti has confirmed reports he stopped paying his players in the final few months of the season.

Hellas were relegated to Serie B and Setti has said he blocked the payment of wages since the turn of the year because he was "very angry" with the way his players were performing.

All arrears have now been paid, however, with Setti insisting it was not a cash-flow problem but rather a personal decision.

"It's true, it was my decision in January to block all the salary payments because I was very angry," Setti said at a news conference on Tuesday. "Unfortunately, I was obliged to pay off all the arrears in recent days. It wasn't a choice based on financial issues, therefore."

Hellas will receive a parachute payment following their relegation to the second division, and they are set to receive a further payment from the Lega Serie A if they fail to return to the top flight at the first time of asking.

Setti hopes he will not have to count on that, though, saying he wants to "give continuity to the club" and "do everything to get back into Serie A, although there can be no certainties."