Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Clarke and Maxwell take wage cuts as SFA furlough 50% of staff
SCOTLAND boss Steve Clarke and Scottish Football Association chief executive I an Maxwell have taken a 10% wage cut as the coronavirus crisis continues to take its toll.
It is understood that 50% of the Scottish FA has been placed on furlough leave, where the Government scheme allows workers to claim 80% of their wages to a maximum of £2,500 per month, with their status being “reviewed on an ongoing basis”.
The remaining staff, including all other national team coaches such as Shelley Kerr, manager of the Scotland women’s team, have also agreed a 10% reduction with immediate effect, also subject to review.
With football in lockdown and and with no firm date for its return due as the pandemic sweeps the nation, the governing body face £5 million to £6m in lost revenue due to the postponed Euro 2020 semi-final play-off against Israel at Hampden Park and the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-finals and final at the national stadium.
In a statement, which noted that “the Scottish FA board has agreed measures to safeguard employment of staff and mitigate t he financial impact of Covid-19 to the governing body,” SFA president Rod Petrie said: “I am grateful to our people for their efforts in adapting to these challenging and unprecedented times”.
Petrie, who, along with v i c e p r e s i d e n t , Mi k e Mulraney, has agreed to a 20% cut to their directors’ remuneration added: “As the governing body, we have a responsibility to protect the national game and it is also our duty as a board to safeguard the future of our staff during what medical experts predict will be an enduring period of uncertainty and national lockdown.”