Football is currently suspended indefinitely in England, with the UK under lockdown.
LONDON: Former Premier League champions Chelsea said they will not impose a pay cut on their first-team squad in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Blues added they had asked players to continue donating to charities during the ongoing pandemic.
“We are grateful to the team for having played their role in assisting the club with community activities as well as all the charitable causes they have been supporting in their respective home countries and through the Players Together initiative supporting the NHS,” the club said in a statement.
Chelsea also said they would not be taking advantage of the UK government’s coronavirus job retention or furlough scheme, with casual workers and matchday staff being compensated by the club through to June 30.
“At this time, the men’s first team will not be contributing towards the club financially and instead the board have directed the team to focus their efforts on further supporting other charitable causes,” the statement added.
Villa to defer 25 per cent of salaries for four months
Aston Villa said they had reached an agreement with players, first-team coaches and senior management to defer 25 percent of their salaries for four months.
But the club added they would not be furloughing staff, with chief executive Christian Purslow saying: “Our players and staff feel great solidarity with the many clubs in the football pyramid who have financial problems.”
Newcastle and Norwich are currently the only two Premier League clubs using the furlough for some of their non-playing staff.
