MANCHESTER UNITED will spend £1million on “goodwill payment” for 3,000 of their staff if games are called off or played behind closed doors amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The Premier League season has been postponed until at least the end of April as the deadly COVID-19 bug continues to sweep the globe with over 9,900 worldwide deaths.
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If games are cancelled or played without fans in attendance, Man Utd will still pay their 3,000 casual match day staff who would otherwise be out of work
Uefa made the decision to push back Euro 2020 for a year to allow European leagues to finish at a later date while the FA changed one of their laws to allow the campaign to be “extended indefinitely” past the previous June 1 deadline.
But if games are further cancelled or played without fans in attendance, United confirmed they will still pay their 3,000 casual matchday staff who would otherwise be out of work.
A club statement read: “This goodwill gesture reflects the club’s desire to reduce the financial uncertainty facing its casual workforce, and is in recognition of the crucial role they play in delivering services to supporters.”
The Old Trafford chief executive Ed Woodward said: “We understand that these are unprecedented circumstances and want to give security whatever may happen regarding remaining fixtures.”
It comes as United suffered a £1billion drop off in their value as the stock market crashes following the coronavirus pandemic.
It has had a damming affect on the stock market with United’s value plummeting by around 50 per cent to £2bn.
Just over a month ago the English giants had a value of £3bn but since the coronavirus outbreak the share price has fallen to just over £9.92 as of Monday, having been in excess of £16.53 at the start of the year.
United were brought by the Glazer family in 2005 with the takeover believed to have cost £790million.
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But the American owners have become increasingly unpopular among Old Trafford supporters leading to an aggressive amount of protests in and out of the stadium.
Over the past year, there has been persistent Saudi Arabian interest, with the owners Glazers said to be prepared to put a price tag of £3bn on the club.
It would mark a sensational profit for the US businessmen.
Man Utd see £1bn wiped off value as stock market crashes amid coronavirus outbreak
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
