Scottish champions Celtic FC have become the latest football club to reduce the wages of the employees after confirming on Friday that the first team players and the backroom staff have volunteered for the cut.
Other than them, the club’s Chief Executive, Manager, non-executive directors and executive team have also volunteered to take a significant reduction in their salaries for the period of April to June to help Celtic FC recover the financial stress caused by the stoppage of football due to the global pandemic of COVID-19.
“This club is all about teamwork and solidarity, on and off the park. We are well aware of the economic realities and are very willing to play our part in recognising them. We will come through this in unity and then look forward to the challenges ahead,” club manager Neil Lennon was quoted as saying on the official club website.
“We also know that many within society, including our own support, are facing distress and, in some cases, tragedy. Everyone at Celtic Football Club, including the players and my own backroom team, expresses our appreciation of the work being done by NHS staff, carers and all who are providing vital public services at this time,” the manager added.
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the sporting calendars across the world with football being the worst-hit. All major leagues and tournaments across the world, including the top five European leagues and the UEFA Champions League, have come to a standstill.
The Euro 2020 and the Copa America 2020, which were scheduled to be played in this year’s summer, have now been postponed due to the global crisis caused by the novel coronavirus which has already affected over 1.6 million people and killed more than one lakh people.
Meanwhile, other major European clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus have also imposed pay cuts on their first-team players and the support staff to fight the financial uncertainty. Premier League has asked the clubs to follow the same path.