Coronavirus: England manager Gareth Southgate takes 30% pay cut
The England manager, who has a reported salary of 拢3m a year, is one of the Football Association's highest earners.
Tuesday 7 April 2020 05:10, UK
Gareth Southgate has taken a 30% pay cut as the Football Association considers the government's furlough scheme as "a contingency plan" during the coronavirus pandemic.
The England manager, who has a reported salary of £3m a year, is one of the FA's highest earners who have collectively agreed to the reduction in order to deal with the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 crisis.
Employees earning £50,000 or more per year will take a temporary pay cut of 7.5%, with senior management earning 15% less.
In a statement, the FA predicted that the postponement of England internationals, FA Cup matches and Wembley events would cost £100m, but said it "could easily exceed £150m depending on the duration of the government's necessary medical measures".
Chief executive Mark Bullingham added: "We want to take prudent and appropriate steps to help protect and support the FA and our employees during this unpredictable time."
The FA also said it is considering options available through the UK furlough scheme - where the government will pay up to 80% of people's wages, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month - as a "contingency plan" while it "continues to plan for the return of football, once it is safe to do so".
The move comes after Premier League players have come under increasing political pressure to take a pay reduction, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock saying players should "take a pay cut and play their part".
The top flight's 20 clubs met on Friday, when they unanimously agreed to consult their players over a "combination of conditional reductions and deferrals amounting to 30% of total annual remuneration".
On Saturday afternoon, the Premier League spoke to all clubs, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) and League Managers Association (LMA) in a conference call to discuss potential wage deductions or deferrals.
After that call, the PFA, which is the footballers' union, said Premier League players were prepared to make "significant financial contributions", but warned a 30% pay cut would have far-reaching implications.
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Earlier on Saturday, Liverpool became the latest Premier League club to place members of their non-playing staff on furlough, joining Tottenham, Norwich, Newcastle and Bournemouth.
Southgate joins England rugby head coach Eddie Jones in taking a financial hit, with Jones earning more than a quarter less now, alongside the Rugby Football Union (RFU) executive team.
Meanwhile, England captain Harry Kane has urged the public not to panic during the ongoing pandemic, saying "it's important to just stay calm," as part of the FA's "Football's Staying Home" campaign.
He continued: "On a match day, that's how I like to be, so I'm using that same energy whilst I'm at home.
"We can only look after ourselves, we can only stay at home and help the healthcare services and everyone saving lives at the moment.
"There's no need to panic, but I think it's important we do everything we can to help.
"Stay at home, be calm, spend some time with whoever you're living with and enjoy these moments."