Lionel Messi Blasts Barcelona Board On Social Media As Players Accept 70% Wage Cut Amid Coronavirus Crisis

FC Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi took to social media to blast the club’s board members for putting the first-team under “magnifying glass” especially when the players had agreed to accept a 70% pay cut to help the club out during the coronavirus crisis.

Messi and Co have accepted a wage cut so the club’s non-playing staff continue earning their full salaries while soccer is currently suspended due to the pandemic virus.

The Argentinean gave out an official statement on his Instagram account where he said, “the time has come to announce that regardless of the reduction of 70% of our salary during the state of alarm, we will also make contributions so that the club's employees can collect 100% of their salary while this situation lasts.”

While he also criticized Barcelona’s board members for delaying the announcement and putting his team under the “magnifying glass” in the wake of the virus situation.

“Much has been written and said about the Barcelona first team in regards to the salaries of the players during this period of State of Alarm. First of all, we want to clarify that our will has always been to apply a drop in the salary we receive because we fully understand that this is an exceptional situation and we are the first ones who have ALWAYS helped the club when asked. Even many times we have also done this on our own initiative, at other times when we thought it was necessary or important."

"Therefore, it does not cease to surprise us that from within the club there were those who tried to put us under the magnifying glass and tried to add pressure to do something that we always knew we would do. In fact, if the agreement has been delayed for a few days it is simply because we were looking for a formula to help the club and also its workers in these difficult times,” the six-time Ballon d’Or winner further added in his statement.

Barca are currently on the top of the La Liga points table ahead of Real Madrid and Seville. There is no update about when the Spanish league and the other soccer leagues, across the globe, will return to action.