England manager Gareth Southgate takes 30 per cent wage cut

Southgate, who took up the role in 2016, was reportedly earning a salary of £3 million and is among the highest earning employees with the Football Association.

Published : Apr 06, 2020 18:49 IST

England manager Gareth Southgate
England manager Gareth Southgate
lightbox-info

England manager Gareth Southgate

England manager Gareth Southgate and the Football Association's top earners will take wage cuts of up to 30 per cent as the governing body deals with a potential £150 million ($170 million) financial fall-out from the coronavirus.

The FA have been hit by the cancellation of England's scheduled friendly matches due to the pandemic.

Television money due from postponed FA Cup quarterfinal ties is also reported while the domestic season is on hold.

Bullingham said the financial impact of the pandemic on the FA was forecast to be in the region of £100 million and could rise to £150 million depending how long football is sidelined.

The move comes at the midst of political pressure on the Premier League players to take a 30 per cent wage cut.

Last week UK health secretary Matt Hancock urged top-flight players in England to do their part, and the meeting of Premier League clubs on Friday had ended with agreement on the need to ask players to see their pay cut or deferred.

The players rejected the move and its union Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) claimed the government would lose out on more than 200 million pounds (around $245 million) in tax.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham revealed the cost-saving measures in a message to staff on Monday.

Under the plan, it is believed Southgate will sacrifice £225,000 from his reported £3 million-per-year contract over the next three months.

Southgate's pay cut was initially reported last week, without the details of the percentage involved.

Bullingham proposed that staff earning more than £50,000 annually should take a cut of 7.5 per cent.

The FA are also looking at whether to utilise the Government's coronavirus job retention scheme to furlough staff.

Premier League teams including Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have used the furlough scheme.

“We are proposing that all employees earning £50,000 or more per annum will take a temporary pay reduction of 7.5 per cent,” Bullingham said on the FA website.

“In the spirit of those on higher salaries taking the greater responsibility, the senior management team have agreed to cut their pay by 15 per cent with the highest earners in the organisation agreeing to reduce their pay by up to 30 per cent.

“We are also looking into what options are available to us through the Government's furlough scheme as a contingency plan, while we continue to plan for the return of football, once it is safe to do so.

“These are extraordinary and challenging times and we do not take these decisions lightly. However, as an organisation we will support each other as best we can.”

READ |

 

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment