Bugesera players have agreed on taking a 65 percent pay cut during the coronavirus pandemic as the club tries to deal with its economic impact. The club confirmed the development to Times Sport on Wednesday, noting that the move starts with the month of April until the Rwanda Premier League resumes. The club is particularly grateful for the solidarity of the first team, who, by reducing their wages, will help the club protect all its workers and their families in such difficult circumstances, said the club in statement. According to skipper Djihad Rucogoza, the players felt ‘willfully’ that it was the right response in the current climate to take a pay cut. As part of the lockdown measures, the local topflight football league, and every other sports activity, was suspended last month and it is still unclear whether it will resume or it will be declared null and void, and look forward to the 2020/2021 season. In a recent address to the league teams, Jean-Damascene Sekamana, president of the Rwanda Football Federation (Ferwafa) insisted that, “Health should always be the guiding principle for Ferwafa, member associations and stakeholders when executing decisions in this particular situation.” While Bugesera have applied the pay cut strategy in dealing with the Covid-19 impact, most other local top tier clubs have announced – including champions Rayon Sports – that they will be completely suspending salaries for players and all staff until the lockdown is over. Djuma Masudi Irambona’s Bugesera are 8th-placed with 30 points after 24 matches. APR top the table with 57 points, six ahead of second-placed Rayon. Police, 43, and Mukura, at 41, are third and fourth, respectively. Of the 16 teams comprising the local premier league, only five – APR, Police, AS Kigali, Marines and Gasogi United – have reportedly decided to continue paying players full amount of their salaries.
