Coronavirus: Union Berlin players waive salaries to aid club

With no sign of a return to action until at least May, players at Bundesliga club Union Berlin have decided they will not be paid.

Union Berlin is enjoying its first season in the Bundesliga.

Union Berlin has announced its first-team squad and backroom staff have agreed to waive their salaries to help the club during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Bundesliga side - which is playing in the top flight for the first time this season - is counting the cost of not playing games, with the domestic season in Germany suspended since March 13 due to COVID-19.

Other staff members have also agreed to take pay cuts as all at the club pull together during the crisis, with the campaign not set to resume until May at the earliest.

The German Football League (DFL) confirmed on Tuesday that the suspension in the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga will be extended to April 30. "These are exceptional circumstances we have to deal with," said Union president Dirk Zingler in a statement. "Our club's purpose is football. If it ceases to exist, then it will touch the core of our existence.

"The management, our staff, the squad and backroom staff have worked hard in recent months to ensure success in the Bundesliga. Now they are giving up a lot of money to get through this crisis together.

"This willingness cannot be credited highly enough to everyone involved. On behalf of the club's entire management, I would like to thank them for their support. As a club, we'll conquer the challenges ahead and this will best happen, if we work together as the Union family."

Union is on track to retain its Bundesliga status for another year - it sits 11th in the table, collecting 30 points from 25 games.