Juventus hailed after players and coach take pay cuts
Italian football federation (FIGC) chief Gabriele Gravina hailed Juventus after their players and coach Maurizio Sarri reached an agreement over a wage reduction that will save the Italian champions 90 million euros (S$143m), the Serie A club announced yesterday.
Sarri and his first-team players have agreed to what amounts to a four-month pay reduction to help Italy's most successful club during the coronavirus crisis.
The effective one-third cut to players' annual salaries will mean a huge drop in wages for a squad headed by Cristiano Ronaldo, the best-paid footballer in Italy - who is reported to earn 31 million euros a year.
FIGC president Gravina told news agency ANSA: "The agreement reached by Juventus is an example for the whole system...
"Unity and solidarity in the world of football represent the first great response to the emergency we're experiencing."
The agreement comes at a time when many clubs around Europe have had to cut wage bills because of the dramatic impact of matches having had to be postponed or played behind closed doors due to the spread of the virus.
Juve have suffered in recent weeks with three of their players having tested positive for the virus - Paulo Dybala, Daniele Rugani and Blaise Matuidi.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now