Ipswich Town manager Paul Lambert says he will be deferring his wages to help assist the club’s staff during the coronavirus crisis.
The Blues have not played since the loss to Coventry on March 7, with English football on hold until at least April 30 as the country deals with the public health crisis. In all likelihood, that suspension will be extended in the coming days.
Writing in The Telegraph, Lambert has said he will be deferring his wages in an effort to ensure staff throughout the club are not at risk of losing their jobs at a time when income has been hit due to a lack of games.
The Blues are understood to bring in around £100,000 per matchday at Portman Road meaning, with five scheduled home games left, the club could miss out on half-a-million pounds worth of income.
“We are all experiencing an incredible situation across the world and a wage deferral is the least I can do as a football manager,” Lambert wrote.
“I am desperate to help in any way I can, and myself and the coaching staff are all happy to assist the club in these difficult times.
MORE: Ipswich Town could lose £500k if season is completed behind closed doors
“There are a lot of people who could lose jobs during this horrible period of uncertainty and nobody wants that to happen.
“We are all fortunate to work in a great sport but we’re all equal – we all breathe the same and say the same things, and are no better than anyone else. Everybody in football has to stop and think about what is right.
“This is an unprecedented scenario for everyone and I’m speaking to the sporting director (Lee O’Neill, general manager of football operations) on Thursday night and I will certainly consider what is right for the club.”
The Ipswich players are currently away from their Playford Road training base for an indefinite period, with individual fitness programmes to follow.
Other staff are working from home and are being paid in full, with no suggestion of redundancies or staff being furloughed at this stage.
The club have previously announced their Portman Road base is available for the NHS to use should that be necessary during the coming weeks.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here