Coronavirus in Mexico: Liga MX clubs could stop paying footballers salary after a month

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought uncertainty to soccer. Some topics are the resumption of tournaments or the new scheduling of them. However, there are other issues that are more complicated to resolve, such as reducing the salaries of soccer players to mitigate the economic consequences of the coronavirus.

In Europe, continent that has been one of the most affected by the virus, have entered into debate on this topic. In the German Bundesliga, the players accepted a reduction in their salary, while in LaLiga in Spain, the captains at FC Barcelona negotiate this situation.

In Mexico, where the suspension of the contest started a week ago, voices have already begun to rise over the pay cut. One of the first to speak was Duilio Davino, president of the Rayados del Monterrey.

In interview with ESPN, The head honcho of the Monterrey residents did not rule out that in the medium-term future there will be a rethinking of the adjustments in the face of a possible economic crisis. "That decision will have to be reviewed and taken later. Today is early to give that answer, but we have to see how far this situation goes; there will be an economic crisis and we'll see which is the least bad solution, but he would start to review some option that is the least harmful for everyone, "he said.

Too Antonio Briseño, defender of the Chivas de Guadalajara, He spoke about it at a press conference and noted that he was unwilling to undergo a pay cut. “Personally, as we all have projects to build and a heritage, I couldn't. I got into debt in many things, I look at my salary, I speak in a personal capacity, I don't ”, he clarified.

In that context, Infobae Mexico He contacted a law expert to explain the situation that the players will go through. In interview, Alberto García Chavarría, a law graduate from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), He explained that in the Federal Labor Law there is a certain period for an employer to pay the salary to its workers in the contingency.

Article 429, section IV, establishes that "The employer will not require approval or authorization of the Court and you will be obliged to pay your workers compensation equivalent to one day of current general minimum wage, for every day that the suspension lasts, without it being able to exceed one month ”.

"The Federal Labor Law establishes that in crisis situations physical work is suspended and the worker must be paid 30 days of a minimum wage, even if he earns more than that ”García explained.

The lawyer stated that Yes, you can reduce the salary of soccer players. "While it is true, there is a special chapter of professionals in the sport, the Federal Labor Law makes no distinction. Whether it is sports or a job as a dependent, it falls within the Law ”, he clarified.

In the event that the period of one month in health contingency ends, the UNAM lawyer pointed out that there is no clear picture of this situation. "The Law is ambiguous in that sense because nothing else speaks of thirty days. If the state in which we find ourselves today is prolonged, the law would have to be strictly applied to a single month's salary, ”he indicated.

"It would be up to the employer to take that situation into account and decide whether to pay another month or not, but the law does not oblige him", ended.

We must remember that Liga MX suspended Clausura 2020 on matchday 10, on March 15 of this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Until now there is no definitive date for the resumption of the tournament, But in the statement on Tuesday, he announced that they are working with the Mexican authorities to see dates.

According to the site ESPN and the diary Record, at this Tuesday's meeting by video call, Liga MX leaders foresee that Mexican football would be stopped for another month and a half. However, it has not yet been considered to permanently cancel the tournament.

At present, Mexico is in phase 2 of the coronavirus pandemic. Hugo López-Gatell, undersecretary of health, reported in a press conference that the country has not yet reached a turning point in the number of confirmed cases, which represents an opportunity to deal with the spread of cases on time.

According to the Ministry of Health (SSa), until this Tuesday, there are already 405 confirmed cases in Mexico of COVID-19There are 1,219 suspected cases and 2,161 negative cases.

The fifth death of a person from this disease was also confirmed. The secretariat reported that the death was that of a woman, the first in the country, in Mexico City. Earlier, a Mexican man died in Peru from the same condition.