Cheap shot was costly

ARSENAL star Hector Bellerin has accused politicians of taking a cheap shot at footballers. The 25-year-old insists he is proud of the way his team-mates reacted when the club asked them to take a potential pay cut.

But he says footballers should not have been singled out and pressurised. Bellerin (left), who is the Gunners’ PFA rep and conducted the talks between the club’s board and players, said: “Given, then, the whole payout situation and the pressure I felt we received as footballers from the Government... well, for a start, I didn’t expect it.

“I felt like it was a cheap shot. There were people in other industries that earned more money than us but it was just easy.

“People know we earn a lot of money so it’s like, ‘Oh, footballers should be the ones to step forward’. I realised early on that everyone was going to lose something, whether that was a lot of money, your business or in some case relatives.

“We all had to be ready to lose but I wasn’t happy with the way we got pressure to do it.

“For example, I have my businesses, I have staff I employ. They rely on me getting paid what I get paid to then be able to pay them. I know other footballers exactly like this.

“I spoke to all the clubs’ captains and said, ‘I have been here for a long time, I have a good relationship with the board, are you okay with me negotiating with them?’ Which was agreed to.

“It’s a really difficult process yet at the end of it – 25 people plus the board and everyone at the club being happy – I feel like it’s brought everyone closer together.”