Arsenal Football Club to defer pay for first team players and coaching staff

Arsenal Football Club’s first-team players, the clubs head coach and core coaching staff, will take a temporary pay cut to financially deal with the critical effects of Covid-19 (Coronavirus), effective immediately.

The 12.5% pay decrease will be repaid to players and coaches if the club reaches its financial targets when the football season resumes.

This was agreed to cover the financial impact that the pandemic has caused resulting in all football games being suspended for the foreseeable future.

A spokesperson at Arsenal Football Club said: “We are proud and grateful to our players and staff for pulling together to support our club, our people and our community in these unprecedented times, which are some of the most challenging we have faced in our history.

“The move follows positive and constructive discussions. In these conversations, there has been a clear appreciation of the gravity of the current situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and a strong desire for players and staff to show their backing for the Arsenal family.

“If we meet specific targets in the seasons ahead, primarily linked to success on the pitch, the club will repay agreed amounts. We will be able to make those repayments as hitting these targets, which the players can directly influence, will mean our financial position will be stronger.”