Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has announced that all players of the Catalan club will take a 70% pay cut during the coronavirus pandemic and shut down to ensure non-playing staff receives their full wages.
In a statement, the Argentine said: “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 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 per cent of our wage during the state of alarm. We will also help out the club in order for the workers to be paid 100 per cent of their wages.”
Last week, Juventus players and manager Maurizio Sarri also agreed to not receive their pay for four months.
German sides Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, have also agreed to take pay cuts.
Barcelona’s board of directors, members of its professional sports teams and most of the basketball team have also agreed to reduce their salaries.