LOSSL FACING LOAN DILEMMA 50% See Pages 30 & 31 PAY CUT FOR EFL PLAYERS
HODGKINSON WARNING AS TOWN FACING £10M LOSS OF REVENUE
PHIL Hodgkinson believes player wage cuts of up to 50 per cent will be needed to help clubs combat the impact of the Covid-19 crisis in football.
As reported in yesterday’s Examiner, the Huddersfield Town chairman fears that up to 60 EFL clubs could disappear as a result of the financial turmoil the game finds itself in because of the pandemic.
EFL chairman Rick Parry said the League is facing a £200m black hole as a result of coronavirus and the economic strain is already starting to tell, with League Two clubs having cut their season short and League One pondering whether or not to follow suit.
The Championship have made a commitment to reach a conclusion to this season, with Town players returning to training yesterday under strict protocols after the squad and staff all tested negative for the virus. But with regular testing needed and clubs having to fork out between £150,000 and £200,000 to carry that out, there is a financial burden on Championship clubs.
Hodgkinson says Town could stand to lose between £7m and £10m in revenue this season.
Solutions to the looming crisis are needed by football’s authorities and the Town chief has one idea of his own.
“The players are not to blame,” he said. “But the reality is the players have to be part of the solution because if clubs go bust, their contracts won’t get met anyway.
“They may not like me saying this, but the PFA need to put in place salary cuts of between 30pc and 50pc for all players at all levels until such a time as crowds are allowed back into football stadiums and income streams return.
“These are ideas. They may not be the right ones. But something has to be done because everyone knows what is coming and people are just sticking their heads in the sand.”