WIMBLEDON, THE OLDEST GRAND SLAM TENNIS TOURNAMENT, CANCELLED THIS YEAR
LONDON: Premier League clubs have been accused of living in a “moral vacuum”, with players urged to take their share of the financial hit from the Covid-19 pandemic as non-playing staff begin to feel the pinch. Last year’s Champions League finalists Tottenham as well as Newcastle and Norwich have faced a backlash for using the British government’s furlough scheme, which will guarantee 80% of employees’ income up to a maximum of £2,500 a month.
“It sticks in the throat,” said lawmaker Julian Knight, who chairs the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, referring to the use of public funds to prop up wage bills. “This exposes the crazy economics in English football and the moral vacuum at its centre.” The Times said the elite should not be a “drain on the exchequer”. “(The) furlough scheme is for clubs lower down the pyramid enduring the cash-flow crisis without gate receipts, not by the likes of Spurs and Newcastle United,” the paper said in a comment piece. That £2,500 sum would be a drop in the ocean for many Premier League stars, yet there has so far been no agreement on wage cuts or deferrals for players, unlike at other top European clubs like Juventus and Barcelona.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said he hoped discussions between the Premier League and players’ and managers’ representatives would “result in players and coaches doing their bit for the football eco-system”.
Levy is in the firing line despite taking a 20% cut in salary for the next two months. On Tuesday he announced a 20% cut for 550 nonplaying staff on the same day it was revealed he was paid £7 million last season, including a £3 million bonus for the completion of the club’s new stadium, which ran well over time and budget.
Players at Barcelona have taken a 70% pay cut during Spain’s state of emergency and will make additional contributions to ensure other employees receive full wages.
The squad of Italian champions Juventus, including Cristiano Ronaldo, have agreed to have their wages stopped for four months while players at German giants Bayern Munich accepted a 20% pay cut. “Clearly, when players at Barcelona, or Juventus voluntarily, or some German clubs voluntarily enter into these agreements with their clubs, then good on them,” said FIFPro general secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann.
“Where the players have the means and they step forward I think that shows very much that they understand what is happening right now and frankly we will be seeing more of that.” The chasm in player earnings between the top end of the game and the lower leagues, and even within the same clubs, complicates the role of players’ unions in finding common ground.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the BBC that top-flight players should take the hit. He said: “Highly paid football players are people who can carry the greatest burden and they should be the first one to, with respect, sacrifice their salary, rather than the person selling the programme or the person who does catering.”
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SUSPENDED
UEFA suspended all Champions League and Europa League matches “until further notice”. UEFA also said all national team games scheduled for June have been postponed, including playoff matches for Euro 2020, which has been moved to 2021.
The finals of the Champions League, Europa League and Women’s Champions League, all of which were scheduled for May, had already been postponed. While most leagues in Europe hope to finish their domestic seasons once restrictions are lifted, UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin said the season could be lost if play does not start by the end of June.