Reds have shredded reputation by placing wealth ahead of employees

IF you want to see how a decision has been received, turn to social media. Within 24 hours of Liverpool revealing they had chosen to furlough a significant number of staff, mobile phones were lighting up with images to deride the club.

There was a picture of Jurgen Klopp tapping the famous “This is Anfield” sign. Nothing unusual in that, you may think, but the image had been doctored with Margaret Thatcher replacing the liver bird. Another showed a flag of Liverpool’s famous managers with the chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak added to it. Liverpool – as a club – have had no affiliation with the Conservative Party. The city has vehemently opposed it. Rival fans, though, did not miss their chance. While Reds fans shook their heads, the rest of Britain took aim at what they could see was an open goal.

“Jurgen Klopp showed compassion for all at the start of this pandemic, senior players were heavily involved in Premier League players taking wage cuts. Then all that respect and goodwill is lost, poor this Liverpool,” tweeted former defender Jamie Carragher.

Dreadful would be another adjective. There will have been key business reasons but the timing of the announcement took the breath away, not least as it came at the end of a week when two clubs had already found themselves under fire for doing something similar.

Like it or not, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) – Liverpool’s owners – have put themselves in the same bracket as Tottenham Hotspur’s Joe Lewis (and his chairman Daniel Levy) and Mike Ashley of Newcastle, perceived to be placing their own wealth ahead of their employees.

There have been some bad decisions in recent years at Anfield. They were criticised –deservedly – in 2016 for trying to sell tickets for as much as £77 in a city that has constantly faced economic challenges.

Two years later, there wasn’t an ounce of resistance to chipping in £250 000 for a leaving present for outgoing Premier League supremo Richard Scudamore.

This, however, is the worst of the lot. Liverpool’s eagerness to participate in the government’s job retention scheme was grim for the club’s image. Just last month, they announced profits of £42million. They have been to the last two Champions League finals and just signed a lucrative shirt deal with Nike.

Why could they not wait? At a time when senior figures in the dressing-room – such as Jordan Henderson and James Milner – are working relentlessly to try to find ways to help the National Health Service (NHS) and local charities, the decision to furlough was extremely premature.

It can be argued, of course, that FSG are simply doing what any shrewd businessmen would do. If a company the size of McDonald’s – a financial behemoth compared to any football club – can furlough staff, why not Liverpool Football Club?

The league leaders – who are topping up the 80% government contribution by 20% so staff do not lose out financially – are the fifth top-flight team to take such measures and, judging by the financial landscape, they will not be the last.

FSG have always been conscious of how Liverpool are perceived, eager to project the right image, and they could – if they desired – reverse the decision to take government money and pay those staff who have been furloughed.

Whether they do that remains to be seen. Whether they have the spare cash to do it is another question entirely.

What they should know, however, is the goodwill that Liverpool had built up over the last 18 months has been shredded by this step.

If the Premier League season is cancelled and Liverpool – two wins off being champions – are denied their first title since 1990, there will now be no sympathy from neutrals. This is a move that alienates the club. It is a long way back from here. | Daily Mail