Football Federation Australia lays off 70 percent of its staff

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Mar 27, 2020

Football Federation Australia has laid off 70 percent of its staff in face of the national shutdown imposed this week to contain the coronavirus.

“This has been an extremely difficult decision to make, but necessary to stabilize the organization so that it can continue to service the game, albeit in a vastly different landscape,” FFF CEO James Johnson said in a statement on Friday. “Industries all over the world have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and football in Australia is no different.”

Play continued through early this week before the FFA shut down the A-League on Tuesday after travel bans and social distancing measures made it impossible to continue with matches played behind closed doors.

All other soccer activities have also been suspended indefinitely.