Soccer

Southampton become first Premier League team to defer wages

Ralph Hasenhuttl and coaching staff will also defer part of salaries for next three months

Southampton players have become the first in the Premier League to defer their wages. Photograph: Bryn Lennon/Getty
Thu Apr 09 2020 - 10:33

Southampton have become the first Premier League team to announce an agreement with their players over wage deferral during the coronavirus crisis.

Saints have announced measures to help the club and non-playing staff through the ongoing Covid-19 situation.

Southampton's players, manager Ralph Hasenhuttl and his coaching staff have agreed to defer part of their salaries for the months of April, May and June "to help protect the future of the club, the staff that work within it and the community we serve".

In addition, the club have confirmed they will not use the Government’s Job Retention Scheme during that three-month period.

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Fellow Premier League sides Tottenham, Newcastle, Norwich and Bournemouth have furloughed non-playing staff, with Liverpool reversing their decision following widespread criticism.

In a statement, Southampton said: “Our owners, Mr. Gao and Katharina Liebherr have put measures in place to ensure that all staff not deferring part of their salaries will continue to receive 100 per cent of their pay, paid in the normal way until 30th June.

“Any decision on the future beyond this date will be made in advance of this, but only when more information is known.

“In these unprecedented times we are dealing with many challenges to our business model and day-to-day operations.

“The situation is ever-evolving and we will continue to monitor and assess the impact to the club over the coming weeks before deciding any further action necessary.”

Southampton have confirmed that “all activity at Staplewood Campus, St Mary’s Stadium and our other sites continue to be suspended except for essential activities” due to the coronavirus, with the situation to be reviewed at the end of April.

The statement added: “Everyone at the club remains fully committed to the community we value so highly in Southampton.

“We will continue to offer our full support to the city of Southampton through the work of the Saints Foundation and provide any further assistance we can.

“We ask everyone connected to the club and the city of Southampton to listen and adhere to the government’s advice.

“Meanwhile, we will continue to prepare our club for a return to the pitch and make sure that, when safe, we are ready to play and serve the people of Southampton again. Until then, We March On. Together.”