We will be transparent about pay cut – Christie

Dunbeholden manager Paul Christie is hoping that transparency will enable players on his team to bear with the club as they might have to half their salaries as the league navigate through these uncertain times.

The 2019/20 Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) season has been suspended indefinitely since March 12 in response to the first confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the island and some clubs will now face difficult decisions as to how to address their financial affairs due to lost match day revenue and other earning opportunities.

Following the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) meeting held on Monday the directive was given to clubs in a release yesterday that "The salaries of players and staff for April 2020 and additional non paying periods would be at the discretion of the clubs but are not to exceed 50 per cent thereof."

Christie believes that being upfront about the current situation with their players and staff will allow whatever discussions and decisions in pay reductions to end amicably.

"We try to be as open and as honest with the players as possible from day one," Christie told STAR Sports." No one wants to hear that you are taking money from them but we have some reasonable players over at Dunbeholden and we have some leaders take the lead and explain what is happening. We have ongoing meetings with the players as management staff of the club. We try to figure out the best that we can do. I think we are getting through to the players," he continued.

Sponsor agreements

The PLCA directive went further to say that full salaries would be paid on the league's resumption but clarified that "any and all reduced payments are unrelated to and not determined by PLCA sponsor agreements and are based solely on the management decisions of each club."

But Christie says that while there would be forward planning in deciding the percentage of salaries that they will pay during the period of inactivity, they will have to factor in the government's decision on whether to lift the current restrictions.

"In all of this we have to take into consideration that we are planning forward, everything is contingent of what the Government says," he said.

The PLCA also confirmed that during the meeting the clubs were committed to completing the league "commencing as soon as possible in the circumstances." They, however, reiterated that they will be guided by the government's directive in making any final decisions regarding the completion of the season and when it will resume.