Published 20:13 IST, April 6th 2020
Coronavirus Spain: Barcelona have reportedly agreed to furlough staff amid COVID-19 crisis
The coronavirus Spain situation has been worsening with each passing day and in order to limit the financial damage, Barcelona are keen on furloughing staff.
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LaLiga giants Barcelona have reportedly agreed on slashing wages for the non-playing members at the club as the Coronavirus Spain situation worsens. The Coronavirus Spain news has been trending on social media as over 13,000 people have succumbed to the COVID-19 plague. In an attempt to reduce the financial blow of the Coronavirus Spain situation, Barcelona have requested wage cuts all across the board.
Coronavirus Spain: Barcelona furlough footballers
Barcelona club captain Lionel Messi was the first to confirm the pay cuts for the players as the Argentine announced he would be taking a 70% drop in his wages for other non-playing staff members to receive their full wages. The discussion between the Barcelona board and the players reportedly did not go as planned but just over a week ago the air was cleared. Messi was joined by other first-team members in the squad to update their Instagram accounts with the message:
Coronavirus Spain: Barcelona furlough to be implied across all boards
The Coronavirus Spain situation has gotten worse over the past few weeks and LaLiga clubs including Barcelona have applied for the ERTE (Temporary Reduction of Employment Action). Barcelona have announced their intention to cut salaries from their footballers as well as non-playing staff members to minimise the financial repercussions. The ERTE will be applied to all the club's athletes, including the women's football team and the basketball team, among all other sporting categories. This would also include the wage cuts for other non-sporting staff members at the club.
Coronavirus Spain: LaLiga clubs to follow ERTE
Other LaLiga clubs including Espanyol and Alaves have also applied for ERTE while Atletico Madrid are expected to get their petition granted by the end of this week. With the COVID-19 plague still looming large, the clubs are losing out on matchday revenue, TV money and sponsorship deals. A few clubs in England have already begun docking pay for their non-playing staff members.
20:13 IST, April 6th 2020