Atletico Madrid to make 500 staff take pay cuts and redundancy over coronavirus with best-paid coach Simeone taking hit

ATLETICO MADRID are close to following Barcelona’s suit and announcing wage cuts and redundancies that will affect 500 club employees due the coronavirus pandemic.

The Barca squad are to have their wages cut by 50 per cent as Spanish clubs struggle with money due to postponement of the football season.

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And Atletico are set to announce similar plans with the club operating on a high wage bill, with boss Diego Simeone paid more than his squad.

The Argentinian is on around £700,000-a-week at the Wanda Metropolitano, with Jan Oblak the highest-paid player with the goalkeeper on £360,000-a-week.

Due to financial problems, Atletico are poised to become the second LaLiga club to announce an ‘ERTE’ – which will comprise of laying off staff for a period of time.

This week, Spain overtook China as the second-worst hit country by the Covid-19 outbreak with 4,365 deaths confirmed so far.

As a result, emergency measures have been put in place by the Spanish government during their lockdown with a temporary redundancy scheme.

Commenting on the situation, Atletico president Enrique Cerezo said: “Everyone is doing ERTEs. But ERTEs are not EREs.”

Speaking on wage cuts for players and staff, he added: “We have spoken to the players and they are aware of the situation.

“I know that there were be no problem, not from them, or the coaching staff.”

LaLiga president Javier Tebas recently claimed that the football season in Spain could return by mid-May, but Cerezo has claimed that they shouldn’t be thinking of that.

He said: “We don’t know how the situation is going to evolve.

“And it’s pointless saying that we could restart in May because nobody knows.”