FC Barcelona, squad and staff to sustain pay cut amidst COVID-19 crisis
Amidst La Liga suspension, Spanish giants Barcelona have announced that members of the club - both players and staff - will have to bear a salary cut. Spain is yet to get a hold of the COVID-19 outbreak and the Spanish top-flight clubs are assessing the financial burden that they are set to incur.
The possibility of an incomplete season has given FC Barcelona a nightmare. Chances are that the club might end up losing millions of euros in television receipt and the prize money. A sudden stop to the season has led the authorities to take strict measures.
ESPN has reported that the Blaugrana have announced a temporary wage cut for all its management staff and players. It was decided in a board meeting on Tuesday that the club was ready to present one ERTE "in the sporting field [football and other professional sports] and another for the rest of the non-sporting personnel."Â
The statement explained, "Basically it is a reduction of the working day, imposed by the circumstances and the protection measures carried out, and, as a consequence, the proportional reduction of the remuneration provided for in the respective contracts."
A few reports in the previous days had revealed a meeting between the first team’s captains and board of directors. The meetings were not fruitful and the authorities had to turn to the legislative body. The acceptance of this proposal would have seen the players incur a wage cut of about 70%, ESPN reported.Â
The Catalans are set to bear more loss as the major attraction and revenue generation source, the club museum has been and will stay closed. This is in addition to the match-day revenue loss that the crisis has brought. The wage reduction when introduced will have to be endured by the men’s team, the women’s team, the basketball team etc.Â
