COVID-19: Gabriele Gravina praises Juventus' decision for salary reductions

Juventus on Saturday had announced that all those associated with the club have decided to negotiate their wage structure in a bid to combat COVID-19.

Leeds: Gabriele Gravina, Italian Football Federation's president, has lauded Juventus' players and coaching staff to opt for a pay cut in order to help the club remain financially stable amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Gabriele Gravina

Juventus on Saturday had announced that all those associated with the club have decided to negotiate their wage structure in a bid to combat COVID-19.

"The agreement reached by Juventus is an example for the whole system. I thank Giorgio Chiellini, his teammates and Maurizio Sarri because, in wake of the collaboration that the FIGC hopes to have in days, they placed general interests at the heart of their conversations with the club," Gravina was quoted as saying by a sports website.

Giorgio Chiellini

"Unity and solidarity in the world of football represent the first great response to the emergency we're experiencing, and that risks becoming even more serious if we don't resume playing soon. Only through the contribution of all the protagonists, each of them playing their part, will we make football stronger," he added.

All Serie A action was suspended on March 9 as a precautionary measure against COVID-19 in Italy, one of the countries worst-hit by the global pandemic.

The number of coronavirus deaths in Italy has increased by 756 in the past 24 hours and reached 10,779, Angelo Borrelli, the head of Italy's National Civil Protection Agency, said on Sunday.

"We confirm 756 fatalities," Borrelli said, adding that 1,434 people fully recovered from COVID-19 over the given period.

The Covid-19 outbreak has put a halt to all football across Europe, with this season's Champions League and Europa League campaigns also currently on hold.