Scottish football club Heart of Midlothian is cutting wages as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Club owner Ann Budge announced this on Wednesday. In an open letter, she asked players, coaching staff and other staff to waive half of her wages until further notice. Budge responded to financial losses by stopping league operations.
At the club from Edinburgh u. a. the Austrian Peter Haring. “There will be no revenue from games and all related business streams while football is at rest,” said Budge in the announcement published on the Heart of Midlothian club website on Wednesday. It is also unlikely that the “business flows beyond match days” will generate income.
The decision was not easy for her, wrote Budge. “If I were not absolutely convinced that this is necessary for a sustainable future of our business, I would not have asked our employees to accept these incisions.” turn out to be lower.
German clubs cannot cut player salaries
German clubs, on the other hand, have no legal means of paying a player less salary due to the financial losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “Without a player’s consent, a cut in salary is not permitted,” lawyer Andrej Dalinger, who specializes in such legal issues, said in a Sport1 interview. However, if players want to forego part of their salary on their own, this must be negotiated with each “individual player individually”.
Recently, demands have been made that players should also make a contribution in economically difficult times. “However, it is questionable whether many players, for whom the situation is already associated with a drop in wages due to a lack of premium and special payments, agree to this,” commented the lawyer, who advises players, clubs and player advisors on labor and criminal law issues.
Although almost all Bundesliga teams have stopped training for the time being, the players are entitled to the full basic salary. “As employees, players and coaches basically only owe the offer of their own service. If the training and game operations cannot be maintained, this risk must always be borne by the employing clubs. The basic salary must therefore continue to be paid in the home office, ”emphasized Dalinger.
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