FC Barcelona board at war with players over salary cut

FC Barcelona is facing a crisis as the club management goes to war with the first team players over proposed measures of a salary cut. Just like most of the sporting world and other industries worldwide, Spanish football has been hit by a financial crisis due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. As such, the Catalan giants have decided to open pay cut negotiations with their entire payroll, including the first team.

Last week, the players rejected the initial conditions for the negotiations that the club had wanted to start. The club has stood firm on their conditions and this has caused a conflict with the players.

Although they are perhaps the most prominent part of the club, there are numerous other employees under the FC Barcelona umbrella. A joint panel has been formed, which is composed of ten representatives from all of the club's groups of workers. However, only one slot is being given to represent the footballers. The players find this unacceptable, owing to the fact that player salaries take up more than ninety percent of the entire value of the current payroll.

According to Marca, the club released a letter on Monday signed by Gemma Biosca, director of human resources of Barcelona. In the letter, Biosca declared that Barcelona will not sway even an inch from the previously released conditions.

In other words, they are only open to allowing one player representative at the negotiation table. "There is no provision or legal reason that justifies the need to discuss measures based on economic causes at different [negotiating] tables and, on the other hand, doing so would be a contradiction to achieving a certain objective that determines the viability of the club. It has to be the result of joint actions from all groups and sections," the letter states.

The club further highlighted the ongoing pandemic and the financial strain that it has caused not just to Barcelona alone. "Your remuneration levels are only maintained in a scenario of full economic performance, as you well know, and this happens also at all European football clubs," read the letter.

The club further appeals to the players to negotiate as per the conditions set. It remains to be seen which side will budge.