By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said that the basketball team of the club is the only department of the organization that, so far, hasn’t unanimously accepted a 70% salary cut (ERTE) due to the suspension of all sports activities amid the coronavirus crisis.
“There is a minority [of players] that is still thinking about it,” Bartomeu told Mundo Deportivo. “I certain and convinced that before this ends, they will all agree to the salary cut.”
Barcelona, Baskonia, Manresa and Zaragoza are the four Spanish ACB League teams that have implemented ERTE and salary decrease while in hiatus. On March 16, ACB decided to suspend all action until April 24 while EuroLeague shut down indefinitely on March 12.
When asked about which players haven’t accepted the request of the club, Bartomeu answered: “I won’t say names. The important thing is that in the end, they will accept it because they will see that it’s an essential measure. We don’t point them out, we wait for them.”
Barcelona captain Ante Tomic had mentioned that he and co-captain Pierre Oriola had accepted the club’s proposal and that many other of the teammates agreed to it. Nikola Mirotic, the highest-paid basketball player of Barcelona, also commented that accepting the salary cut was a “personal decision” to support the club in this situation.