Southampton become first Premier League club to reach agreement with players over wage deferrals amid coronavirus crisis

Southampton have announced their players and coaches have accepted a wage deferral, becoming the first Premier League club to reach this agreement amid the coronavirus pandemic

The measures have been introduced to help Saints’ non-playing staff, and the club itself, with all football suspended due to the ongoing crisis.

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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.

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% 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.

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“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.”

All football in England has been suspended since early last month because of the coronavirus pandemic, with Southampton not playing since a 1-0 home defeat by Newcastle on March 7.

At the time of the Premier League being put on hold Saints were 14th in the table, seven points clear of the bottom three.

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