La Liga and players struggling to come to terms over pay cuts amid coronavirus pandemic

Footballers are saying the league wants them to carry nearly half the total losses caused by the suspension of the competition

La Liga returns on 11 June

The Spanish football league is struggling to find common ground with players on the size of the salary cuts the latter need to take to help reduce the financial impact caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

La Liga and the players’ association have been in talks to try to find ways to mitigate losses that could reach nearly €1 billion if the season cannot be restarted because of the pandemic.

The players have said they are willing to reduce their salaries, but not as much as the league or the clubs want.

“After analysing the current circumstances of the sector and given the distance in conversations with the players’ association, it is necessary to adopt measures in view of the serious economic crisis that Covid-19 is causing in the Spanish soccer industry,” the league said in a statement.

It also added that government furloughs are “an exceptional mechanism to avoid and mitigate the negative impact that Covid-19 is having on the sector, and thus guarantee its subsequent recovery”.

According to media reports, the league expects losses of €957 million if the season is cancelled, with €303m lost if it resumes with games in empty stadiums.

€156m is the expected deficit if the league continues with fans.

The players said the total cuts in salaries requested by the league would account for €451m if the top flight cannot restart. The reduction in salaries being discussed reportedly varies depending on the clubs, and also on whether they are playing in the Champions League or the Europa League.

Team captains met with the players’ association late on Friday to discuss their options after the league earlier in the day called for all clubs to put the footballers on government furloughs to reduce labour costs while the stoppage of play continued. The furloughs would help the clubs and guarantee players their jobs once the crisis is over.

The league said it is responsible for preserving an industry that represents 1.37 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product and employs about 185,000 people.

Atletico Madrid and Barcelona were among the clubs to resort to the furloughs in recent days. Both reached an agreement with players to reduce their salaries by 70 per cent and guaranteed the wages of other employees were unaffected.

The government is expected to extend lockdown measures in Spain until 26 April, likely keeping the Spanish league suspended until then. The league has said it will recommend a “minimum of 15 days” of practice before the games can restart, though it suggested recently that the training period may begin with restrictions before the lockdown is removed.

AP