Asuncion, May 2 (IANS): Paraguay boss Eduardo Berizzo is the latest South American national football manager to agree to a pay cut amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Berizzo and his backroom staff accepted a 50 per cent wage reduction in the months of April, May and June to help the Paraguayan Football Association (APF) manage its costs, reports Xinhua news agency.

It includes agreements made in relation to the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the Copa America, the APF said in a statement on Friday.

Chile head coach Reinaldo Rueda and Colombia boss Carlos Queiroz have also sacrificed a percentage of their salaries in the past month to help their respective associations.

South American football has been suspended since mid-March, when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation.

The start of the South American zone qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup -- previously slated for March -- have been postponed to September. The Copa America in Colombia and Argentina, originally scheduled for June and July this year, will now be played in 2021.

Berizzo took charge of Paraguay in February last year and led the team to the quarterfinals of last year's Copa America in Brazil.

The 50-year-old Argentinian has previously managed Athletic Bilbao, Sevilla and Celta Vigo, among other clubs.