Confirmed – Rangers agree major financial deal amid Coronavirus pandemic
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard and his entire playing staff have agreed to take a 50% wage deferral during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
The club confirmed the news in an official statement on Monday evening.
All football in Scotland has been suspended in an effort to arrest the spread of the virus, with no clear indication of when it is due to return.
That has left many clubs struggling to get by without the usual income of gate receipts, and has led to a number of sides putting non-playing members of staff on furlough in recent days.
But it is understood that a number of first team players at Ibrox approached senior figures at the club with the offer of cutting their own income in an effort to ensure that behind-the-scenes staff do not have to suffer a wage cut during this difficult time.
As such, players and coaching staff will see their salary cut in half until July, with that money then being reallocated to other workers.
The club will then repay any owed funds over a period of time, meaning that nobody will miss out on any of their usual pay.
What can we make of this?
This move should be applauded wholeheartedly.
In an unprecedented time, with many people facing uncertainty and worry over both their health and their finances, it is admirable to see players take action like this is in an effort to ease the burden on those who have less security.
Footballers get a bad rap sometimes, and that certainly isn’t helped by figures of authority like Health Secretary Matt Hancock calling on Premier League stars to donate their wages to charitable causes when he routinely turns a blind eye to other wealthy members of society who are more beneficial to his own political agenda.
Nonetheless, this move from the Gers shows that there are a good proportion of professionals who have a strong social conscience, and who would have been willing to act without being scapegoated and vilified for the sake of political deflection tactics.
Full credit to the lads at Ibrox, this is a fantastic, compassionate thing to do.
In other Rangers news, Ibrox View: Dazzling footage of 22y/o talent shows why he could be the man for Gers.