Clubs are expected to begin negotiating individually for wage cuts during the coronavirus lockdown, as the Players’ Association President Damiano Tommasi warns “we must protect those with lower salaries.”

A new Lega Serie A meeting of the 20 top flight clubs has been scheduled for tomorrow and news agency Ansa claims the conference call will cover among other things the issue of wages.

While Juventus, Inter and Serie C side Monza have agreed to cuts, talks with the Players’ Association (AIC) reached an impasse.

Clubs want players to forfeit or at least suspend four months of wages, whereas the AIC are prepared to cut just one.

“Our concern is that we must protect those who earn lower salaries, and that’s not just in Lega Pro/Serie C, a league where 70 per cent of them earn under €50,000 per year, but also the amateurs and women’s football,” Tommasi told Rainews 24.

“We have to work out if the resources that can be saved in one sector of the football world can be used to cover those who earn less. There are so many people right now who don’t know when or if they will return to playing football.

“Players will do our part and we are eager to get back on the field, even during the height of summer, as long as health comes first. When the conditions are enough to ensure safety, not just for the athletes, but also those who work around a football club, then we can think about planning fixtures.

“The problem now is that there is still too much uncertainty to make plans.”

This issue has blown up in England, where the PFA (Players’ Association) blasted clubs for trying to dock their pay and put non-playing staff on furlough, pointing out this also means fewer taxes going to fund the NHS.