Technical Director Fabián Bustos: Barcelona SC board has not asked us to reduce salaries
The Technical Director of Barcelona SC, Fabián Bustos, stated on Thursday that the club's board has not asked him and his coaching staff to reduce their salaries in order to alleviate the economic damages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic-induced football shutdown.
On the contrary, the Argentine coach expressed his tranquility regarding the economic issue "because the leadership has been doing things very well since the start of the 2020 season." However, he did not specify whether he would be willing to take a pay cut.
- FEF Ecuador Cup loses Emelec and Barcelona this year
"Club economies are not the same worldwide. The budgets of different leagues are not the same. Player realities are also different," said the boss of the yellows in a virtual press conference broadcasted on Barcelona SC's social channels on Thursday.
Bustos also backed the decision of the board led by Carlos Alfaro Moreno not to participate in the Ecuador Cup and the rest of the tournaments managed by the FEF: "They are at the forefront of the institution and they are the ones who know in depth how the club is doing in this very difficult moment."
On another note, fitness coach Marcos Conenna commented on the situation of Michael Arroyo, who had rejoined Barcelona on February 17.
"Michael was doing well, unfortunately, this happened and it paralyzes everything we had planned, but for everyone (involved in the squad). Michael was practically ready to compete, he was very close; what happens now is that everyone is in the same situation. Obviously, he lacks the football rhythm, which he has to find with all his teammates, because the situation equals everyone," he recognized.
He added: "The beneficial aspect of all this is the recovery of those players who were injured and we are all starting from the same point. So Michael will have the opportunity to start a season that he did not have previously, and that is beneficial for him."
'Rebuilding everything'
Once the confinement is lifted in Ecuador, Conenna estimates that the first team will require a "minimum" of three weeks "to arrive in the best possible way" for the resumption of competitions, so the fitness coach has already asked Bustos to organize a mini preseason.
The first ten days or the first two weeks, explains the fitness coach, will be used to work intensely on the physical aspect. Meanwhile, Bustos revealed that President Carlos Alfaro Moreno will ask his counterpart from LigaPro to grant teams a period of three weeks for players to recover in terms of physical function, operation, and tactics. (D)