Players from League One side MK Dons have “unilaterally” agreed to defer 25% of their April wages in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. With football finances being hit hard, particularly in the lower echelons of the Football League, the Dons are the latest in a series of clubs to announce the measures they are taking to combat what is being thrown at them.
MK Dons Players Agree Wage Deferral
Additional Measure
The club had already confirmed much earlier in the timeline of this pandemic, back in March, in fact, that non-playing staff would be placed on furlough leave. This would see the club take advantage of the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, allowing staff to receive 80% of their income up to £2,500.
The act of players agreeing to defer their wages, therefore, comes as an additional measure. This was always likely, though, as many clubs are having to look at their finances on a day-by-day basis.
Club chairman Pete Winkelman struggled to hide his pride at the players, who he said had “shown solidarity” with all of the non-playing staff at the club.
He spoke to local media outlets on Monday afternoon, and quotes from that interview published on the club website read: “With players, they are in a slightly different position because they are on fixed-term contracts and we’re not talking Premier League money here. They only have 10 to 15 years of earning potential in their careers, don’t forget.
“For some, they will have only weeks left on their contract and it might turn out to be the last they earn as professional footballers or they may never earn this type of money again. That’s why I believe deferral is the right thing to do in the players’ instance.
“Too much pressure is put on the players to do this or to do that. They all signed contracts and while it’s absolutely not our fault what has happened, it’s certainly not their fault either.”
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