EPL players fire back after flak over pay cut

Clubs say they'll consult footballers on up to 30% reductions in wake of political criticism

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is one of the Premier League footballers spending their downtime arranging fund-raisers for the NHS.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is one of the Premier League footballers spending their downtime arranging fund-raisers for the NHS. PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON • The Premier League has been suspended since March 13 and the English top flight will not be resuming play any time soon amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials had pencilled in April 30 for its return date, but the league yesterday acknowledged the competition will not restart at the beginning of next month and the remainder of the campaign "will only return when it is safe and appropriate to do so".

With football on hiatus, Premier League players have come under increasing pressure in the past few days to follow the example of some of their fellow professionals at other big European clubs and take a pay cut to show solidarity with those who are suffering.

While players from Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus have taken pay cuts because of the impact Covid-19 is having on their respective clubs, footballers from the richest European league have so far been shielded from its effects because of the English top flight's financial might.

Leading politicians have weighed in, with British Health Secretary Matt Hancock - whose department has come in for significant criticism over its preparedness to combat the pandemic - making no bones about where he stands on the issue.

He said on Thursday everyone needed to play a part in the fight and "the first thing footballers can do is make a contribution, take a pay cut and play their part". Labour MP David Lammy claimed it was "criminal" Premier League footballers have not chipped in.

The players have become an "easy target" since Tottenham, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Norwich put their non-playing staff on the government-funded furlough scheme, which guarantees 80 per cent of salaries up to a maximum of £2,500 (S$4,410) per month.

With the average salary for a Premier League player at £3 million a year, according to the latest Global Sports Salaries survey, anger has arisen over what is being seen as an abuse of the system.

Adrian Bevington, the former director of communications for the Football Association, told PRWeek magazine: "If you are out of sync with society at the moment, that's a huge mistake."

As such, the Premier League has sought to quell public unhappiness over the highly-charged issue, yesterday confirming that the clubs have "unanimously agreed to consult their players regarding a combination of conditional reductions and deferrals amounting to 30 per cent of total annual remuneration".

The top flight also reaffirmed its commitment to help out the financially strapped lower divisions, unanimously voting to advance funds of £125 million to the English Football and National League.

On the issue of salary reductions, Premier League footballers past and present feel they have been given a rough ride, especially as many have been helping out in significant ways.

In the first major coronavirus gesture from a full squad, Manchester United players said they will donate 30 per cent of their wages to local hospitals and health services, while Red Devils forward Marcus Rashford has teamed up with charity FareShare to help feed at least 400,000 children.

According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is also organising a Covid-19 fund and has roped in fellow players in a bid to raise millions for the National Health Service (NHS).

Crystal Palace forward Andros Townsend also feels his peers are an "easy target", saying: "(Hancock) deflecting blame onto footballers. I don't think that is right."

  • AVERAGE EPL PLAYER'S ANNUAL SALARY BY TEAM

  • 1 Manchester City 7 (£ million)

    2 Manchester United 6.1

    3 Liverpool 5.5

    4 Arsenal 4.8

    5 Chelsea 4.8

    6 Everton 4.1

    7 Tottenham 4.0

    8 Leicester 3.4

    9 West Ham 3.0

    10 Crystal Palace 2.9

    11 Southampton 2.3

    12 Wolves 2.2

    13 Newcastle 2.1

    14 Watford 2.0

    15 Aston Villa 2.0

    16 Bournemouth 1.9

    17 Burnley 1.9

    18 Brighton 1.8

    19 Norwich 1.0

    20 Sheffield United 0.7

    £1 = S$1.76

    SOURCE: GLOBAL SPORTS SALARY SURVEY 2019

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 04, 2020, with the headline EPL players fire back after flak over pay cut. Subscribe