Players at Bayern Munich, other Bundesliga clubs take pay cut

(L-R) Bayern Munich’s midfielder Davies Alphonso, Bayern Munich’s midfielder Serge Gnabry, Bayern Munich’s midfielder Leon Goretzka, Bayern Munich’s midfielder Joshua Kimmich and Bayern Munich’s French defender Benjamin Pavard react after their second goal during the German first division football Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Augsburg in Munich, southern Germany, on March 8, 2020. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP) / DFL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT ANY USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS IMAGE SEQUENCES AND/OR QUASI-VIDEO

Footballers at Germany’s top teams including Bayern Munich have agreed to take pay cuts to help other clubs survive the economic impact of the coronavirus, media reports said Tuesday.

Newspaper Bild reports that players and club officials at champions Bayern, top of the Bundesliga when the Bundesliga season was halted on March 13, has accepted a 20 percent cut in their salaries.

Like all top European leagues the German top flight is losing income from broadcasting, sponsorships and ticket sales during the COVID-19 pandemic, with matches in Germany suspended until at least April 2.

Bayern has a massive wage bill which reached 336 million euros (364 million dollars) last year, almost half of club turnover.

Players at Borussia Moenchengladbach were the first in the Bundesliga to propose a pay cut, followed by others at Werder Bremen and Schalke 04. Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen players are in talks over pay cut proposals with management.

At Dortmund — second in the Bundesliga — coach Lucien Favre has made a personal offer to take a pay cut while players are negotiating a 20 percent salary reduction if the season does not restart or a 10 percent cut if play resumes behind closed doors, when clubs will at least earn income from TV rights.