Turkish football clubs seek 30 percent pay cut

ISTANBUL

The official broadcaster has informed the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) that it will withhold payments, which will result in at least 30 percent losses in clubs’ incomes, an organization that brings together the football clubs in the country’s top flight has said.

The Turkish Union of Clubs, which consists of the 18 clubs in the Süper Lig, has urged its members to seek 30 percent pay cuts in mutual agreement with their players, coaches and staff.

“Although the games were played in the first three weeks of March, the broadcaster has informed the Turkish Football Federation that it stopped payments, leading to a great disappointment,” the union said in a written statement late on April 13 following a three-hour meeting.

All professional league in Turkey were suspended indefinitely on March 19 after playing behind closed doors for one week following the confirmation of the first COVID-19 case in the country.

“As we have seen in all other football leagues, we would like to remind that the payments for the broadcast rights, which are the primary source of income for the clubs, are very important for our clubs to both provide past obligations and ensure sustainability,” read the clubs union’s statement, urging BeIN Sports to reconsider its decision to withhold the payments.

The statement referred to a recent FIFA decision on the status of football contracts with players and possible pay cuts.

FIFA, world football’s governing body, last week urged clubs and players to reach agreement on wage reductions to protect clubs suffering financial damage because of the coronavirus crisis, sources said.

It also recommended that players’ contracts be extended until the end of the interrupted football seasons and that the transfer window will not open until that time.

“Our clubs, which have different financial structures and income items, are affected by the situation differently,” the Turkish union said regarding the ratio of possible pay cuts.

“Instead of setting a common rate for this, each league or club will set a reasonable and proportionate rate considering the national legislation and its own economic situation, as FIFA recommends,” it said, adding that the determined discount rates will be applied equally to all players by the clubs.”

According to the current calculations, the clubs are suffering an average of 30 percent loss per year, according to the Union of Clubs.

“With the determination of the fate of the leagues, each club will be able to implement the discount figure according to their loss,” it said. “The payments will start after the leagues start.”

The statement said that the Turkish clubs “will try to reach mutual agreement on the structuring, adaptation and freezing of the fees specified in the contracts for the 2019-2020 season.”

“If mutual agreement cannot be achieved, contracts and receivables covering this process will be frozen until the leagues start again, and players will be notified about it,” it said.