Barcelona players have said they will take a 70% pay cut
during the COVID-19 pandemic, to allow the club run its operations.
Barcelona captain Lionel Messi confirmed on Monday that the
move was reached at after consultation with all players, adding that it will
help the club pay other non-sporting staff their wages in full amount.
Messi said in statement that “Before going any further,
we want to make it clear that we were always willing to reduce our salaries
because we understand perfectly that we are in an exceptional situation. We, as
players, are always here to help the club when they ask.
“It does not cease to surprise us that from within the
club there were those who tried to put us under the magnifying glass and tried
to add pressure to do something that we always knew we would do.
“If we didn’t speak until now, it’s because the
priority was to to find solutions to help the club and to see who the most
affected were during this situation.
“For our party, the moment has arrived that, the cut
will be 70% of our wage during the state of alarm. We will also help out the
club in order for the workers to be paid 100% of their wages.”
Meanwhile, Italy side Juventus players and manager Maurizio
Sarri agreed to freeze their pay for four months to help the club deal with the
pandemic.
German sides Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, have also
agreed to take pay cuts.
