FC Barcelona communique

The Board of Directors, at a remote meeting, have discussed the measures to be applied to minimise the economic impact that the coronavirus crisis is causing on the activity of FC Barcelona, ​​as well as the actions that are being carried out by the club and the Foundation to collaborate with the authorities, with the aim of avoiding the spread of the disease as much as possible.

The declaration of the state of alarm last March 14, a consequence of the health emergency that we are experiencing with the coronavirus pandemic, meant the cessation of all activity, sporting and non-sporting, at our club. Faced with this scenario, the Board of Directors has decided to implement a series of measures to mitigate its effects and reduce the economic effects.

Among the measures adopted, those related to the workplace are motivated by the need to adapt the club's contractual obligations with its staff to the new and temporary circumstances that we are experiencing. This involves the presentation of different cases concerning football and other professional sports, as well as for the other non-sporting personnel.

These cases will be processed before the Government of Catalonia's Ministry of Labour, once the club has shared all aspects related to these measures, and their scope, with all its staff, both sporting and non-sporting. Basically this is a reduction of the working day, imposed by the circumstances and the protection measures carried out, and, as a consequence, the proportional reduction of the remuneration provided for in the respective contracts. These are measures that the club wishes to implement in scrupulous observance of formal labour regulations, under the criteria of proportionality, and above all fairness, and with the sole objective of resuming the club's activities as soon as possible..

Barça against the coronavirus

In parallel to the adoption of these measures, the Board of Directors, together with the Board of Trustees of the Barça Foundation, has launched a series of actions to collaborate in the fight against this pandemic, some are in progress and others are already operational:

• The club facilities, both sporting and annexes, have been made available to the Government of Catalonia's Ministry of Health.
• Launch of the ‘T’Acompanyem a Casa’ (We'll join you at home') programme, to proactively contact all members over the age of 80, to inform and assist them, and to monitor them during this crisis. This programme is an adaptation of the ‘T’Acompanyem’ programme, which, in collaboration with the Red Cross, is given at the stadium on match days to all those with mobility problems.
• The World Confederation of Penyes, penya federations, and the penyas themselves have been put at the service of the authorities, to take advantage of their presence in the territory and to help entities at the local level, both for personal aid and provision of resources and facilities.
• Collaboration of the World Confederation of Penyes with the Food Bank.
• Start an awareness campaign, reinforcing the message "#StayAtHome", in collaboration with the Hospital de Sant Joan de Déu, which will be broadcast on Barça TV, the club's social networks and communication channels, and which will feature boys and girls who, due to their illness, are on long-term stays at the centre. Together with doctors from various fields, they will explain their experience and encourage everyone to stay at home.
• The Barça Innovation Hub will be made available to research centres such as Hospital Clínic, Hospital Trias i Pujol and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, among others, to offer their collaboration and coordination in research actions related to the impact of the coronavirus on sport.

Finally, the Board wishes to reiterate its full support to all those who are suffering from this crisis and its consequences, and to express an explicit thanks to the workers who guarantee the supply of all basic services and, especially, to all professionals in the healthcare network that are putting their own health at risk as they work tirelessly to protect that of the entire population.