Birmingham City ask squad to defer half of wages during coronavirus pandemic

Birmingham have become the first Sky Bet Championship club to ask their players to take wage deferrals because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Squad members earning more than £6,000-a-week at St Andrew's have been asked to take a 50 per cent cut in their salary for the next four months, amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the PA news agency.

The money will be paid back in stages when the season restarts, with English football postponed until April 30 at the earliest to try to combat the spread of the virus.

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The Daily Telegraph reported Birmingham sent an email to agents asking them to agree to a "short-term deduction in wages in order to assist the club to continue to run on a day-to-day basis in the current climate". The club said it was due to "unprecedented circumstances".

Sky Bet Championship clubs discussed the prospect of wage deferrals last week as they look to stave off financial problems, with Blues unlikely to be the only side taking such measures.

Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani has said the impact of the coronavirus pandemic will prove an economic "disaster" for the club.

1:37 Wigan manager Paul Cook and Plymouth Argyle boss Ryan Lowe discuss the repercussions of the delayed EFL season due to coronavirus Wigan manager Paul Cook and Plymouth Argyle boss Ryan Lowe discuss the repercussions of the delayed EFL season due to coronavirus

The EFL has said its main priority is to finish this season to "protect the integrity" of the competition and has put in place a £50m fund to help with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on clubs.

"The primary objective, in order to protect competition integrity, is to deliver a successful conclusion to the 2019/20 season, subject to the over-riding priority around health and well-being," said the EFL, which represents 72 clubs, in a statement.