West Ham United of England’s Italian international defender, Angelo Obinze Ogbonna has become the latest player of Nigerian descent to be hit with a wage cut, with the reduction in his salary coming on account of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic across the world, megasportsarena.com reports.
The report out of London reveals that Ogbonna and The Hammers’ other players will defer a percentage of their salaries to help the club during the coronavirus crisis, while their coach, David Moyes and vice-chairman, Karren Brady will take a 30 per cent pay cut.
Ogbonna’s club also confirmed that their joint-chairmen, David Gold and David Sullivan are joining fellow shareholders to inject £30m into the club to ensure stability during football’s shutdown.
The Hammers become the second English Premier League club whose players have agreed to a wage deferral, following Southampton’s announcement on Thursday, but Gold and Sullivan, who have not taken a salary or dividend throughout their 10 years at the club, are deferring interest payments on shareholder loans.
In a statement, West Ham said: “The savings created by the measures above will support the entire infrastructure of the club and enable us to retain jobs and continue to pay 100 per cent of staff salaries. It will also help us to continue to support the most vulnerable in our community.”
Brady added: “I would like to say a big thank you to David Moyes and his backroom team, our captain Mark Noble and our fantastic squad of players for the commitment and determination they have shown to offer their help and support.
”I would also like to thank the shareholders whose support through this injection of equity once again demonstrates their commitment to the future of the club. The joint-chairmen and I are truly proud of how they and everyone at the club has stepped up to play their part in this situation – we are in it together to support one another, our community and our C=club.
“That is the spirit of the West Ham United family. There is still a long and difficult road ahead but we remain committed to doing everything we can to support those most in need, and together we will come through it stronger.”
Brady says she fears for players’ health if they are to return to action without having the time to attain sufficient levels of fitness, and believes potential resulting injuries could put pressure on an “already overburdened” NHS.
Writing in The Sun newspaper, Brady also revealed she worries a Premier League restart could see players spread the virus by being unaware they are infected, adding: “The PL have said that whatever happens there will be at least a three-week return to fitness before any game is played and the season recommences.
“Each club’s medical team have a different view about if this is enough time to get properly match-fit. And then what happens if games recommence and players get injured when playing? Are they sent to an already overburdened NHS hospital, as most private clinics are closed, and private hospitals repurposed?
“How will we know if they are even fit to play and not able to spread the infection to other players? We know some people can have the infection but remain asymptomatic. So how will testing be done, and by who?”
