Gareth Southgate has agreed to take a 30% pay cut as the Football Association announced it was braced for losses of more than £150m due to the shutdown of the game because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Southgate has led from the front during his time as the England manager and he has made the financial sacrifice together with the FA’s very top earners as the organisation reviews its models and attempts to deal with a financial crisis.
Mark Bullingham, the chief executive, said that the governing body was considering whether to make use of the government’s furlough scheme to protect the business and its employees.
The FA has had to cancel England friendlies that were due to take place at Wembley in the countdown to Euro 2020, and the postponement of finals themselves has denied it the chance to host a series of high-profile ties – at least until next summer.
The organisation had also been looking forward to Wembley pay days from the men’s and women’s FA Cup finals, the EFL play-offs and rugby league’s Challenge Cup final. Summer concerts at the stadium are also in danger.
Bullingham said: “We’ve taken an immediate and significant financial impact due to the postponement of England internationals, Emirates FA Cup matches and Wembley events, and there is currently no clear timescale on when they will return. The total financial impact is currently forecast to be around £100m, but it could easily exceed £150m depending on the duration of the government’s necessary medical measures.
“We are proposing that all employees earning £50,000 or more per annum will take a temporary pay reduction of 7.5%. In the spirit of those on higher salaries taking the greater responsibility, the senior management team have agreed to cut their pay by 15% with the highest earners in the organisation agreeing to reduce their pay by up to 30%.
“We are also looking into what options are available to us through the government’s furlough scheme as a contingency plan, while we continue to plan for the return of football, once it is safe to do so.”
