March 30 – In one of the most radical moves by an individual football association in response to Covid-19, Football Federation Australia (FFA) has temporarily dismissed 70% of its full-time staff.
Australia until last week was one of the last countries in the world still playing before the plug was finally pulled on the A-League.
FFA chief executive James Johnson explained the country’s lockdown would have a negative impact on revenue, including registration fees, broadcast revenue, sponsorship and ticket sales.
“We have to take such unfortunate decisions to keep working,” he said. “For this reason, we have decided to remove 70% of our employees,”
“We have needed to adjust our operations to ensure that we can remain operational.”
There was no mention, however, of players taking pay cuts.
Football Federation Australia plans to review the suspension on April 22 and most clubs appear to be waiting until then to decide what to do.
“We need a strong national governing body in place and a team ready and able to get back to work as soon as possible, as football will play an essential role in the recovery of our nation post COVID-19,” Johnson added.
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