Look for new jobs: Akinfenwa’s Wycombe tells furloughed staff

Effect of the Covid-19 pandemic continues to dig deep into more clubs as league one side Wycombe has told its non-playing staff to look for new jobs.

Wycombe which has Nigeria born Adebayo Akinfenwa in their striking force revealed they are close to losing £2.5m no thanks to the Pandemic. The development has also cut short defender Jason McCarthy’s loan spell from Millwall as the club can no longer afford to pay.

At the start of the year before the pandemic hit, Wycombe were sitting top of the league and were mounting a serious push to the Championship – a league they have not reached in their entire 133-year existence – but their form tailed off and they dropped to eighth when the league froze in March.

Chairman Rob Couhig, who bought the club in October 2019, said on the team’s official website: “The club has essentially been without revenue since the beginning of March. Our loss of revenue even with the utilisation of the furlough plan has exceeded £1m through the end of May.

“It is apparent that the club’s losses as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak may exceed £2.5m. If we are required to play games behind closed doors, whether to try to complete the season or in play-offs, these costs will go up.

“Going forward, these furloughed employees will receive 80 per cent of their salary with a maximum payment of £2,500 per month. We are also recommending that they begin the search for alternative employment once furlough ends.”

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Wycombe’s fate on the pitch this season remains up in the air as League One clubs have still yet to vote on whether to end the season, with a decision not likely to come for another week. Akinfenwa who got a fresh one year contract in June 2019 has scored 46 goals in 152 appearances for Wycombe since 2016.