Lionel Messi confirmed on Monday that Barcelona's players will take a 70 per cent pay cut and make financial contributions to ensure the club's other employees are paid in full during the state of alarm in Spain.

In a message posted on Instagram, Messi also took another swipe at the Barca board, led by president Josep Maria Bartomeu, whom he accused of undermining the players during recent negotiations. Other Spanish clubs are expected to follow suit in applying temporary pay cuts, as football's hiatus due to the Coronavirus pandemic leaves a number of them fighting for financial survival.