Chief exec Paul Barber accepts Brighton players have all the power amid pay cut talks

Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber admits the club are in no position to pressurise players into taking pay cuts.
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Albion have been open and transparent with the first team squad regarding the club's finances amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Players have been asked consider wage reductions or deferrals as their match day income - approximately £20m per year - has stopped because of the Premier League suspension.

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Brighton's last fixture at the Amex was on February 29 when they suffered a 1-0 home loss to Crystal Palace. The players remain on full pay and have been given time off until May 1.

Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive and deputy chairman Paul BarberBrighton and Hove Albion chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber
Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive and deputy chairman Paul Barber

Club captain Lewis Dunk and and veteran striker Glenn Murray are representing the first team during discussions with the club's hierarchy.

Barber had previously hoped to resolve the issue soon after the Easter weekend.

An agreement is yet to materialise but players have since given a six-figure contribution to the Albion As One fund as well as donating to the #PlayersTogether initiative and private donations to good causes.

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“It makes absolute sense for us to leave them to mull that over and give them as much time as they need." said chief executive and deputy chairman Barber.

Brighton's Glenn Murray and Lewis Dunk are in talks with the club's hierarchy on possible pay reductionsBrighton's Glenn Murray and Lewis Dunk are in talks with the club's hierarchy on possible pay reductions
Brighton's Glenn Murray and Lewis Dunk are in talks with the club's hierarchy on possible pay reductions

“We are not in a great position here to negotiate. We have nothing to negotiate with. Their contracts are guaranteed.

“All we can do is show them the position we are in and then leave it to what is a very good group of players who have been excellent all the way through this process.

“I would rather give them as much time as they need to get to the best possible outcome rather than rush them, put them under pressure, put their backs against the wall, which is not fair.

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“They know our financial position and they know the pressures we are suffering.

“I don’t want to put a date or a time on it.

“What I can say is they have been incredibly supportive, very constructive and very positive all the way through.”

Barber also stated clubs will adapt to playing behind closed doors if need be but is concerned about the repercussions.

With chief medical officer Chris Witty suggesting on Wednesday that some social distancing measures could remain in place for the rest of 2020 as the country tries to get to grips with coronavirus, the prospect of playing football matches in front of a crowd diminished further.

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It is widely accepted that if the current Premier League season is to be completed it will be behind closed doors, though there are increasing hurdles to overcome for that to happen, with regards to player testing and TV rights.

Hopes of starting next season in front of a crowd are fading, which could have severe consequences for clubs up and down the country.

Barber said: "It's going to be very difficult to play Premier League football behind closed doors.

"It's going to be very difficult for football clubs right the way through the pyramid to not have the benefit of the matchday income that we all rely on.

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"And the lower down the pyramid you go, where the broadcast income is less significant, the matchday income, by definition, is more significant.

"So, I must admit it concerns me hugely for football as a whole, for the industry as a whole. I think that it will put many clubs in a very, very difficult financial position.

"But it's something, by the sounds of it, we are going to have to find a way of adapting to, not just commercially but also from a sporting point of view as well.

"The players are going to have to get used to it. But, again, every week that goes by, every month that goes by, we get more information and we process that information, we start to adapt to the new environment that we're facing, and I daresay that, once again, we will process this information and start to think about our plans and how we adapt to it."

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