Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (1st L) reacts after a goal by Chelsea's Olivier Giroud during the Premier League London Derby match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge Stadium in London, Britain on Feb. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
The 20 clubs of England Premier League will ask their players to take a 30% drop in wages due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
LONDON, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Football players in the Premier League will be asked by their clubs to take a 30 percent drop in wages because of the coronavirus epidemic, the Premier League announced after a meeting of its 20 clubs on Friday.
The Premier League also agreed to make a 20 million pound (24.5 million US dollars) donation to Britain's National Health Service to help it combat the crisis and a further 125 million pounds to help lower league clubs survive without revenue due to the suspension of all football.
"In the face of substantial and continuing losses for the 2019-20 season since the suspension of matches began, and to protect employment throughout the professional game, Premier League clubs unanimously agreed to consult their players regarding a combination of conditional reductions and deferrals amounting to 30% of total annual remuneration," reads the statement from the Premier League.
The BT Tower displays a message "Stay at home" in London, Britain, on April 1, 2020. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)
The UK is currently under a lockdown ordered by the British government to try and control the spread of the Covid-19 virus and it is not certain when (or if) the remaining nine games will be played.
"The Premier League's overriding priority is to aid the health and wellbeing of the nation and our communities. The 2019/20 season will only return when it is safe and appropriate to do," said the statement.
Many players have already made individual donations to help buy sanitary material for the NHS with Liverpool's Jordan Henderson contacting club captains with the aim of setting up a fund to raise further funds for the health service.
Outside of the UK many players have accepted pat cuts with the FC Barcelona squad reducing wages by 70 percent and agreeing to pay the wages of other club staff. ■
