Hibs furlough players and staff

Hibs have announced they are to furlough the majority of their staff including all of their players, as the club takes steps to limit the damage caused by the football shutdown.

A core group will continue to work from home to maintain operations.

Players and senior staff have agreed to defer salaries by "between 20% and 50%" during the coronavirus shutdown.

"The club hopes that taking this action early will ease some of the cashflow pressure we are facing," said chief executive Leeann Dempster.

The Easter Road club say all individual agreements are confidential, while more than 1,000 season tickets have been sold for the next campaign.

Hibs are the latest to join the job retention scheme set up so businesses can claim 80% of their employees' wages from the government, up to a maximum of £2,500 per person, per month before tax.

Dempster added that all staff have been "superbly supportive and committed through this whole issue".

Her statement added: "Senior staff and players have also agreed to defer a significant percentage of their income. This will help the club manage its finances through this difficult period.

"The chairman has said that the club will repay any shortfall in earnings over an agreed period once things return to normal."