In an interview with Rome based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, Damiano Tommasi, the president of the Italian players association, has discussed the possibility of the members having to take pay cuts.
Multiple reports in the media in the past few days and weeks have suggested that clubs could ask players to take wage cuts to help out amidst the financial crisis that has been caused as a result of the ongoing global Coronavirus pandemic.
To start the interview, Tommasi was asked if he thinks Italian football federation president Gabriele Gravina’s idea of resuming play on May 3 is a realistic one: “”I think what the British did in saying games will not be played until a certain date is a better way.”
He was then asked about whether he thinks players should be training at this time with a number of Serie A clubs reportedly pushing to be allowed to resume training.
“I do not know what people who thinks players should be training are thinking. I do not want to be controversial but training two months before the possible resumption of the season makes no sense to me and it is also dangerous.”
Next he went on to discuss the potential of members having their wages cut on a temporary basis to ease the financial blow clubs will suffer.
“The players are the first to be interested in the sustainability of the football system. We are aware that this is a topic to be addressed but not now.
“Firstly the damage needs to be quantified and only once this is done will we know if the season will end or not. The issue of cutting wages should be dealt with in due course. A possible 20-30% cut? We are not able to force the members to accept it.”
