After a few days marked by controversy, the players of FC Barcelona have agreed to reduce their wages by 70% during the duration of the health crisis due to the coronavirus, announced the management of the Catalan club, Monday, March 30, four days after presenting a partial unemployment plan for its employees.
"The FC Barcelona steering committee, the members of the teams from all professional sports and the majority of the basketball team have reached an agreement to reduce their salaries during the alert period because of the COVID-19 », Barça said in a statement.
"In the case of the first football team, the reduction will be greater than the 70% initially envisaged by the club. This additional gesture by the team, added to that which the club will do, will guarantee 100% of the salaries of all non-sports staff, subject to a partial unemployment plan this week ", specifies the press release of the club.
Punctual wage cuts have already been decided in other European football clubs: in Germany in particular, or in Italy, like at Juventus Turin which took this decision this weekend.
"Our desire has always been to accept a drop"
On Thursday March 26, Barça announced a partial unemployment plan for its employees in order to lessen the impact on its finances of the coronavirus pandemic. "Essentially, it is a reduction in the working day (…) and, consequently, a proportional reduction in the planned remuneration", had explained the club.
The Spanish press, on the other hand, had echoed the refusal of Barça footballers to reduce their wages by 70% as the club president wanted. “Above all, we wish to clarify that our desire has always been to accept a reduction in our salary, because we fully understand that this is an exceptional situation and we are ALWAYS the first to help the club when it comes to us. has been asked ", explained Lionel Messi in a message posted on his Instagram account.
"If we have not talked about it until now, it is because the priority for us was to find real solutions to help the club, but also to those who will be most affected in this crisis. If the deal was delayed for a few days, it’s simply because we’re looking for the best deal. ”, did he justify
