Jaume Giró: "The Barça squad must agree to a wage cut"

Jaume Giró: "The Barça squad must agree to a wage cut"

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The Catalan Minister of Economy calls on the players to accept a lower salary

Jaume Giró, Minister of Economy and Finance of the Catalonia regional government, who was set to become the club's economic vice-president under Joan Laporta, has called on the Barcelona players to do the right thing in light of the club's financial situation and agree to a wage cut.

Talking on Rac-1's 'El Mon', Giró said "The players need to do the right thing. If they love the club, they should agree to a wage cut. They've been paid astonishing amounts of money in the past, even with painful defeats in European competitions, but now they need to make a personal sacrifice for Barça. Even after the cut, they'll still earn more than someone with four university degrees who speaks three different languages".

Giró did not blame Laporta for the club's current situation: "The wage bill that Laporta is faced with was not down to him. No company can operate in this way. As things stand, Barça spends 70% of its budget on player wages, and this is completely unsustainable", he added,

The regional government's Minister of Economy and Finance also stated "there are many more expenses, besides salaries and amortisations. From what I've read, the current board is going to do everything possible to bring down the wage bill. I am confident that they will do it, because it is one of the club's objectives alongside refinancing its debt".

Giró warned the club's members about the immediate future of the club and asked for patience: "The club needs to be up front with the members. They will understand. It won't be possible to have the best paid players in Europe for a while, because the most important thing is to ensure that the club remains in the hands of its 'socios', which is the essence of Barça". He added that, while "it's more difficult to compete with certain clubs, it can be done".

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