Messi confirms pay cut for Barca players, criticises board
Lionel Messi confirmed on Monday that Barcelona's players will need a 70% pay cut and make financial contributions to guarantee the club's other employees are paid completely through the state of alarm in Spain.
In an extended message posted on his Instagram account, Messi also took another swipe at the Barca board, led by president Josep Maria Bartomeu, whom he accused of undermining the players during recent negotiations.
Other Spanish clubs are anticipated to check out suit in applying momentary pay cuts, as football's hiatus as a result of coronavirus pandemic leaves a number of them fighting for financial survival.
Atletico Madrid have said the club will impose earnings reductions on staff whose hours have already been affected while Espanyol have also confirmed pay cuts, although for sporting staff only.
"For our part, enough time has come to announce that, in addition to the reduction of 70 per cent of our salary during the State of Alarm, we will also make contributions so the club's employees can accumulate 100 % of their earnings while this example lasts," Messi wrote.
He added: "You want to clarify that our desire is definitely to use a drop in earnings because we grasp that this can be an exceptional situation and we will be the first ones who have ALWAYS helped the club when asked.
"Many times we have even done it on our very own initiative whenever we thought it necessary or important.
"Therefore, it never ceases to amaze us that from within the club there have been those who tried to place us under the magnifier and tried to include pressure to do something that we always knew we would do."
- 'Must be done' -
Messi's message was soon posted on the pages of nearly most of his Barcelona teammates, including Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, Antoine Griezmann, Frenkie de Jong, Arturo Vidal and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
The partnership between Barca's players and board has been tense for many months, with Messi's public criticism of technical secretary Eric Abidal in February just one of a number of off-field controversies.
Bartomeu said later on Monday the senior players were on board with taking pay cuts immediately.
"From the first moment I needed it be something agreed and not imposed even if I possibly could do it for legal reasons, but we wished to reach an agreement because it is best for Barca and shows their commitment," Bartomeu told Catalan sports daily Mundo Deportivo.
"From the first moment, Messi said that should be done," he added in an interview with Sport.
Barcelona also released their own statement on Monday, which said members of "all professional sports teams and almost all of the basketball team" had decided to reduce their salaries.
It added: "Regarding the football first team the reduction could be more than 70 % as agreed with the club. This additional contribution by the team, plus the contribution from the club itself, will guarantee 100 per cent of the salaries of all non-sporting staff, who'll be subjected to non permanent redundancy this week."
