EFL and PFA propose 25% pay deferral for top earners at clubs in League One and Two - including Blackpool and Fleetwood Town

Blackpool and Fleetwood Town are able to defer player wages by 25 per cent for the month of April, the EFL and PFA have confirmed.
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Under the proposals, any players earning less than £2,500 per month would still be paid in full.

Any reduction in wages must not take a player below earning that amount.

The EFL and the PFA have issued new guidance for clubs in League One and TwoThe EFL and the PFA have issued new guidance for clubs in League One and Two
The EFL and the PFA have issued new guidance for clubs in League One and Two
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The measures, which don't apply to clubs in the Championship, have been put in place to ease the financial burden on clubs in the third and fourth tiers due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a joint statement, the EFL and PFA said the move was a "recommendation and not a directive as there are clubs who have stated no requirement to take immediate action at this time".

"The EFL and member clubs recognise that each club will hold individual discussions with players and that agreements will be reached at a local level," the statement adds.

"At the same time, clubs in League One and League Two have acknowledged the strength of a collective approach to support and inform their decisions."

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In addition, the two bodies said that they will "form a working group of six club captains/PFA delegates from the third and fourth tiers, supported by a representative nominated by the PFA, to engage in dialogue in respect of players' wages".

"While the working group will not be a formal negotiating body, it will help to ensure that players are fully informed as they continue to hold discussions with individual clubs," the statement says.

"In establishing the new group, the EFL and PFA acknowledge the common problems faced by the League and member clubs, and the need for all parties to be part of a solution.

"Dialogue with the working group will enable the League both to listen to the concerns of players and to explain the extent of the financial challenges.

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"It will focus not just on the short term (May and June) but will address the medium-term position from the start of July onwards and into next season."

Many clubs in Leagues One and Two, including Fleetwood, have had to take advantage of the government 'furlough' scheme by enrolling non-playing staff on the programme, which sees the state pay 80 per cent of a salary up to that of £2,500-a-month.

Blackpool are yet to confirm what measures, if any, they will be taking.