Lionel Messi says Barcelona players will take pay cut to help club employees amid coronavirus
Lionel Messi and the rest of Barcelona’s players will take a 70 percent pay cut amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Argentine superstar announced on Instagram on Monday.
On top of that, Barcelona players will contribute to ensure club employees receive 100 percent of their salaries.
Following Messi’s statement, Barcelona released a statement of its own confirming the news.
Barça statement (released 20 mins after Messi's) "In the case of the first team, the reduction will be more than the 70% initially proposed by the club. That additional contribution from the squad... will allow us to guarantee 100% of the salaries of all non-sporting staff" pic.twitter.com/4EbqhIkynu
— The Spanish Football Podcast (@tsf_podcast) March 30, 2020
Barcelona announced last week it would make pay cuts to both its players and staff to get through the coronavirus pandemic. The players were initially hesitant to accept the 70 percent pay cut, rejecting the proposal, according to ESPN. They eventually reversed course and made sure team employees would continue to get paid.
Spain has been hit hard by the coronavirus. Over 85,000 cases have been diagnosed in the country, and over 7,000 people have died in Spain due to the disease.
In his statement, the 32-year-old Messi also took the opportunity to call out critics who questioned the players for rejecting the initial proposal. Messi says the players were never opposed to taking a pay cut, but they were still trying to figure out how to ensure team employees got paid while everything else was shut down.
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