Toulouse (AFP)
An agreement on a "maximum" drop in wages of "15% for players" and "20% for sports supervision" for next season was accepted Monday at the Castres Olympique, the club announced on its website.
Castres, winner of the Brennus 2018 shield, is the first club in the Top 14 to sign an agreement to reduce pay due to "the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the activity and operation of the club" .
The elected representatives of the players, Mathieu Babillot, Rodrigo Capo Ortega, Baptiste Delaporte, Julien Dumora, Marc-Antoine Rallier as well as Armand Batlle representing the Provale union, signed the agreement exposed by the management during a Social and Economic Committee (CSE), said the club.
The agreement, valid for the 2020/2021 season, was signed "unanimously" by the members of the CSE and provides for "a reduction in wages of a maximum amount of 15% for the players and 20% for the management sports, the category of hopeful players not being concerned, "said the club.
"In these particular circumstances, all the players showed a great sense of responsibility and solidarity. It was important that they made a strong gesture demonstrating their attachment to the club and their concern to contribute to allow it to continue its activity in the best possible conditions, "said club president Pierre-Yves Revol
"As a result of this agreement, our payroll will drop by around 15% but we will have a competitive workforce," he added.
"We wanted to demonstrate to the entire club environment, partners, subscribers, supporters, our mobilization by actively participating in the collective effort that the situation requires. It was important to send a strong signal quickly in order to launch the momentum of solidarity that must be created around the club, "said hooker Marc-Antoine Rallier.
At the end of the championship, Castres occupied 10th place in the Top 14.
© 2020 AFP