The vast majority of Major League Soccer head office staff, including commissioner Don Garber, are taking enforced pay cuts due to the league’s shutdown amid the global Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a report by Yahoo Sports, which has been independently confirmed by SportBusiness, Garber and senior executives Mark Abbott and Gary Stevenson will take a 25-per-cent pay reduction.
Most of the league’s other full-time staff will be given pay decreases of 10 to 20 per cent, while a few entry-level and lower-compensated workers will not be affected. Some lower-paid staff have had their pay and hours reduced, however, while there is also a freeze on new hires.
MLS players will continue to be paid their full salaries by their clubs for the time being.
The league is hoping to resume activities on May 10, though this seems extremely unlikely due to the ongoing health crisis. MLS initially suspended the league for 30 days last month.
MLS is hoping to play as many games possible when the season returns and possibly push the MLS Cup final back to December.
Numerous other major sports organizations in North America have either enforced layoffs, furloughs, or temporary pay cuts during the extended shutdown, including most recently National Collegiate Athletic Association president Mark Emmert.
