Borussia Monchengladbach players to go without wages amid virus outbreak
Players at Borussia Monchengladbach have offered to forgo their pay while the club battles against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The move – in which coach Marco Rose and the club’s directors are also set to take part – should free up around one million euros as the Foals struggle through the outbreak, with the money understood to be set aside to pay staff salaries.
Football in Germany’s top two divisions has been put on hold until at least April 2, with the country’s FA on Wednesday announcing a donation of £2.3m to aid in the fight against COVID-19.
And Monchengladbach have become the first professional club to follow suit.
“The players know what’s going on,” said Gladbach managing director Stephan Schippers. “It is their job. They have already informed themselves and thought about it.”
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The club has revealed that two of its staff have tested positive for the virus, with a number of their colleagues undergoing quarantine.
Earlier in the week, Bundesliga chief Christian Seifert alluded to the fact that the survival of some clubs may be under threat, with a lack of revenue from broadcasting and ticketing striking a powerful blow to a football industry that employs 56,000 workers across Germany.
“Tens of thousands of jobs are at stake,” he added.
Monchengladbach have fought their way to fourth place in the Bundesliga standings after 25 games this season with 49 points and Rose’s side are well-placed to better last season’s fifth-place finish, breathing down the necks of RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, who are on 50 and 51 respectively.
Bayern lead the way on 55 and look poised to seal a 30th title – and an eighth consecutive crown – when the campaign eventually resumes.
