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Atletico Madrid players and management agree to COVID-19 pay cuts

Atletico Madrid players have agreed to help supplement the salary of 430 employees affected by co...



Atletico Madrid players and ma...
Soccer

Atletico Madrid players and management agree to COVID-19 pay cuts

Atletico Madrid players have agreed to help supplement the salary of 430 employees affected by coronavirus.

Manager Diego Simeone and members of the club's management committee will also contribute after the club presented a Temporary Employment Regulation File (ERTE).

All the members of the first team, along with the women's team and Atletico Madrid B, have also agreed to a 70 per cent reduction in salaries, during the crisis.

They follow in the footsteps of fellow La Liga side Barcelona, who agreed to 70 per cent pay cuts earlier this week.

Atletico president Miguel Angel Gil told fans this week, "A situation as serious as this one forces us to take decisions as complicated as necessary for the good of the club."

Gil added, "These are, as I said, difficult decisions, but the responsibility of safeguarding the future of Atlético de Madrid forces us to make them."

According to the latest figures, Spain has seen 10,003 deaths from coronavirus from a total of 110,238 cases - the third highest number of cases in the world.

As well as the 70 per cent cuts, Gil announced the establishing of a fund that will go directly towards Red Cross workers on the frontline of the coronavirus.

On top of that, he promised "As well as contributing directly to the donation, the club has put all its resources and groups that are part of this great family (players, coaches, managers, legends, fan club members, club members...) into action to get this message across to as many people as possible, so that they can contribute in any way to the purchase of the equipment needed for the health services."

Atletico's actions come in the face of inertia from English Premier League clubs.

They've been criticised for not implementing pay-cuts and instead placing non-playing staff on the UK government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

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Atletico Madrid Barcelona Coronavirus Covid-19 Diego Simeone La Liga Pay Pay Cuts Premier League