Bartomeu shows his face: "The captains saw the reduction well from minute 1"

This Monday, the players of the first team of the FC Barcelona made public a communiqué in which they announced that they accepted to recess a 70 percent his wage to minimise the effects of the economic crisis although, in the same, gave a stick to the directive for having them exposed without reason. Josep Maria Bartomeu, Barcelona president, gave the face in front of the Catalan media.

The maximum mandator culé explained his satisfaction by the agreement. "It wanted to that it was something agreed and no imposed although it could do it by law but wanted to arrive to an agreement because it is the best for the Barça and show his commitment. It has achieved like me it wanted to and no of form imposed. We have preferred to expect to speak it with them and that was not at all tax. There has been predisposition from the first day, from the minute 1", ensured.

Bartomeu also explained the process and when initiated the conversations with the staff. "The Friday 20, with Òscar Grau, did a videoconference with Messi, Busquets, Hammered and Sergi Roberto and said them that we wanted to that they reduced the fixed wage, no the variable, while it lasted the State of Alert and said yes from the first moment, that saw it well. They have happened ten days until the final agreement but from the first day there was a himself. Of not to have it, would have gone I direct opting by an ERTE. But now there is not ERTE but a private agreement with them", commented.

"It has taken ten days in closing the agreement because the captains had to speak with the rest of players. It is not easy to do it without seeing "

The president culé even gave the quantities that will save the club with these measures. "In round figures, to the month are some 14 millions of the net wage of the first team and of the rest of teams are two millions because only it is on the basic wage and no on the variable. In total, 16 million discount to the month. If the State of hard Alert a month, will be a discount of 5,75% of the annual wage. If hard 45 days, will be 8,6% and if hard two months, that think that no, 11,5%. It is a flexible agreement conditioned to the number of days", manifested.

Another of the questions that Bartomeu had to answer and that generated uncertainty was why have taken 10 days in closing the agreement between club and players. "At the end they have accepted what proposed the first day. Here there are a lot of factors and the captains had to speak with the rest of players of the team. It is not easy to do it without seeing ", remembered.

The Barcelona director also ensured that the players understood from the first moment the impact of the money that no ingresa the club. "We do not have sale of entrances, rights of TV, hospitality, the shops, the Museu, them Escoles. There is a very big decrease of income and try to compensate it with the discount of wages of sportsmen and employees, included all the executives, and other actions reducing costs and projects that can delay ", said.

The anger of the players

In the communiqué of the players,​ reported that inside the managerial board "there was the one who treated to put us under the lupa and tried to add us pressure to do something that we always had clear that would do". Bartomeu spoke on this, recognised that the players had done him arrive his anger and regretted not being able to control who speaks out of the club.

"There are people of all the parts that speaks. But I can say that they have not spoken neither the players neither I, neither Òscar Grau. On the contrary, if somebody asked me I said that calm, that there would be ERTE with the players. And there has not been it neither there will be it with the staff. There has been a private agreement between the club and the first staff", admitted the president culé.