Atletico Madrid follows move by Barcelona to cut player salaries
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Mar 28, 2020
Atletico Madrid became the latest European club to cut the salaries
of its players in the wake of the current pandemic, a move Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil said was necessary to guarantee the “survival of the club."
The move allows others
employees to remain on the payroll.
Atletico followed Barcelona's move in invoking the ERTE (Spain's temporary workforce adjustment plan) to temporarily dismiss a number of employees or
reduce their working hours to ensure the financial viability of the business during a time of crisis.
Spain has been the second hardest-hit European country after Italy during the
pandemic with more than 4,000 deaths and almost 60,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
"We are working to minimize the impact of the measure and limit it to what is strictly
essential," said Gil, "so that when the competition resumes, everything will work as it has been until now. Our sponsors and collaborating companies are suffering like us and the rest of society from
the terrible impact of this health and economic crisis. I want to thank you for your commitment in these hard times and for your help.”
In its last game before the shutdown,
Atletico beat Liverpool, 3-2, to eliminate defending champion Liverpool from the UEFA Champions League in the round of 16.
