Pasquale Bruno: Coronavirus will change football forever and Hearts must alter wage structure

Former Hearts defender Pasquale Bruno expects football to change forever.

In the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, Italians sing on balconies to maintain morale during lockdown. Their voices are heard loudly throughout neighbourhoods from Milan in the north to Lecce in the south. Pasquale Bruno, the former Hearts defender, offers a message of his own amid the crisis.

He believes footballers should accept pay cuts to help mitigate cash problems at their clubs with matches indefinitely suspended. That includes his old team in Edinburgh. Now 57, Bruno argues that, if it's good enough for Inter Milan and Juventus, it's good enough for Hearts.

"I follow everything in Scotland and, I tell you, I totally agree with what Ann Budge did with the wages," he told the Evening News. "If you play in lower leagues, you only earn maybe £1000 per month. If somebody plays in Serie A, or England's Premier League, or the Scottish Premiership, they have a good wage. They can give up some money.

"They can give up 50 per cent. They are not training so why get paid? If I was playing myself, I would give up all of my wage. The club is earning nothing, so why do they have to pay the players when they are at home and not playing? All the players in Italy are giving up money - at Juventus, Inter, everywhere."

Low wages, big bonuses

Bruno is not finished there. He now runs an agency representing footballers with business partner Alessandro Moggi, son of the former Juventus managing director, Luciano. He expects coronavirus to change football forever and hopes Hearts see an opportunity to revamp their pay structure.

Having played for Juventus, Fiorentina, Torino, Lecce and Hearts among others in an impressive career, a lifetime in football has given Bruno a priceless insight into the money involved. He is convinced that lower wages with large bonuses is the future.

"I think this will change football forever," he continued. "When it restarts, something has to change regarding the big money for the players. If I was Hearts owner, I would tell every new player this: First, you have to be a young player looking to build a career, you will be on a low wage and, if the team reach the club's targets, I will give you big, big bonuses. It's the only way.

"I was a footballer. I played at a high level and footballers are lazy and spoiled. I was the first spoiled player, so I know. The only way for a club like Hearts is low wages and big bonuses if you achieve the club's targets. The economy in the world is changing and this war against the virus is affecting everybody. Why does football have to be a paradise? No way.

"I think this is the right moment for a club like Hearts to change everything. Hearts is a big club. You want to play for Hearts? Okay, You come here and I give you the shirt of Hearts. It's a glorious shirt. This is the wage. It's a low wage but, if you reach the club's targets, I give you big, big money. Then everybody is happy.

"Fans are happy seeing victories, the players get money and the club achieve their target. There is no other way, so I agree that players should give up money. Maybe all the footballers will hate me for saying this, but if they have earned big money then they are not starving."

Kings of the world

He is still in contact with former Hearts colleagues Gary Locke and John Colquhoun, but Bruno's life touches all levels of football. He lives in a small village near Lecce and, aside from agency work with Moggi, runs his own football academy for 400 youngsters aged five to 18. He is also a consultant with some Serie A directors.

Northern Italy bore the brunt of the coronavirus impact as the country toiled to cope. More than 13,000 deaths have been recorded across the country, more than anywhere else in the world. The gravity of the problem is not lost on southerners.

"It is really difficult times," said Bruno. "People thought we were kings of the world with money and power, we thought we were Superman, and suddenly one virus and we are nothing. We are in a war without weapons and it's really hard. This is like a horror film. Maybe it will teach people there are other things in life - not just money and power.

"Perhaps it will change people's mentality. Maybe for normal people, nothing will change. Me and you will carry on the same life - go to a restaurant, have a beer in the pub, play five-a-sides. The Governments have the power, like [Donald] Trump and [Boris] Johnson.

"Italy is the same. When this pandemic started, the mayor of Milan said it was nothing and everybody can go out to live their lives. Now, you are crying when you look at Milan and Bergamo because of the situation.

"We might see light at the end of the tunnel soon because of the restrictions from the Government. These are in place until after Easter and this is the only way to fight this war. We have some cases here but it's not a big problem like in Milan and Bergamo."

Socialising

The Italian way of life centres around outdoor socialising, so lockdown restrictions have been keenly felt. Bruno is determined to focus on what he knows best - football. Garden life is not for him, as his wife can testify.

"In Italy, we like to eat outside and be outside all the time. Now that is not possible, so everybody is on the balconies. The weather is good because spring is here," he said.

"For us it is really hard because Italians are in restaurants every lunchtime and dinner time. Plus there is no football. The most important thing is people's health right now. Football is the last priority, really.

"The days are boring. My wife says to me: 'Why do you not go in the garden to clean?' No way. It's not my job to clean the garden or water the plants. My job is football. Every afternoon we have video conferences for the player agency for two or three hours. This keeps everything going."

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