Espanyol and Atletico Madrid have followed Barcelona in announcing they will apply temporary pay cuts to their players as a result of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Other Spanish first division clubs are expected to follow suit in the coming days, with Real Valladolid the only one so far to have announced that none of their staff will be subject to cuts.
Barcelona had been unable to reach an agreement with their players, despite their willingness to negotiate a reduction. But the club will unilaterally apply legislation, known as an ERTE, which allows them to temporarily cut wages in exceptional circumstances. Atlético have also applied their wage cuts under this measure.
A statement issued by Barcelona on Thursday night said the cuts would “essentially reflect a reduction in the working day and thus a proportionate reduction in salary” and would apply to “both sporting and non-sport staff”.
The city’s other club, Espanyol, announced they would apply cuts but said those would apply to sporting staff only: from the men’s and women’s first teams to the B team and the two under-19 sides.
That was followed by an open letter from Atlético’s majority shareholder and CEO, Miguel Ángel Gil Marín, in which he said they would be forced to seek cuts for those members of staff who have had to stop working or whose hours have been reduced significantly, among the football and non-football staff. He insisted that the changes would be limited to the “strictly necessary in order for things to work as they did before when the competition returns”. He insisted the measure had “a single objective[:] to guarantee the survival of the club.”
According to the statement released by Espanyol, meanwhile, the players have been advised and they “understand and respect” the measure, conscious of “how delicate the situation is”. They are prepared, the club said, “to each an amicable agreement with the club without having to take more drastic measures”.
None of the clubs has released details of the extent of the cuts applied. Barcelona and Espanyol have announced that they will put their facilities at the disposition of the health authorities as the coronavirus crisis begins to accelerate in Catalonia, while Atlético have said they will raise money for the Red Cross.
Valencia’s owner, Peter Lim, has bought 50,000 FFP2 face masks and 300 thermometers that will be given to the Valencia regional government in the name of the club. La Liga meanwhile will stage an online charity concert on Saturday evening, in which more than 30 artists will perform, including Alejandro Sanz, Juanes, David Bisbal and José Mercé, each presented by a player from Spain’s first division, with the captains from every club included. The proceeds will go towards buying materials to assist in the fight against Covid-19, which has claimed almost 5,000 lives in Spain.
