So why are footballers suddenly scapegoats? asks Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney believes it is “a disgrace” that the UK’S top footballers were lined up as “easy targets” in the wider response to the coronavirus crisis.
The former England captain, now playing in the championship with Derby, said the government and the Premier League had left them in a “nowin situation” over the issue of pay cuts.
The Premier League has suggested a 30 per cent wage cut or deferral, however the Professional Footballers’ Association issued a statement suggesting that such a move could result in a £200 million tax deficit.
Against that background the overt calls on footballers to commit to financial measures from key political figures, including Health Secretary Matt Hancock, have not been well-received.
Rooney made it clear he had both the means and the will to make significant financial contributions, either in the form of salary reductions or direct donations to the NHS, but felt the public pressure being exerted on players was unhelpful.
“If the government approached me to help support nurses financially or buy ventilators I’d be proud to do so – as long as I knew where the money was going,” Rooney wrote in a Sunday newspaper column.
“I’m in a position where I could give something up. Not every footballer is in the same position. Yet suddenly the whole profession has been put on the spot with a demand for 30 per cent pay cuts across the board. Why are footballers suddenly the scapegoats?
“How the past few days have played out is a disgrace. He [Mr Hancock] was supposed to be giving the nation the latest on the biggest crisis we’ve faced in our lifetimes. Why was the pay of footballers even in his head? Was he desperate to divert attention from his government’s handling of this pandemic?”
Rooney went on to question the wisdom of the Premier League in pre-empting behind-the-scenes talks involving players with its own proposals for sweeping reductions.
Gary Lineker picked up the theme as he swapped his usual weekend seat on the Match of the Day panel for a remote appearance on BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show.
He said: “Why not call on all the wealthy to try and help if they possibly can rather than just pick on footballers?
“Nobody seems to talk about the bankers, the CEOS, huge millionaires.
“Are they standing up? Are they being asked to stand up? We don’t know.”