Footy jibes an own goal, Matt

■ Matt Hancock should apologise to all footballers for trying to use them to deflect from this government’s poor handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

They promised tests which didn’t materialise in time, then said all frontline staff had the PPE equipment they needed, yet our doctors, nurses and other key workers are dying every day through lack of protection.

Instead of issuing a heartfelt apology, the Health Secretary turned his attention to Premier League players stating they should do their bit by accepting wage cuts. But they are already playing their part through their own Players Together fund for the NHS.

I suggest Mr Hancock focuses on the billionaires who are using millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to pay staff wages.

Mary Pester, Saltash, Cornwall

■ Now that Matt Hancock has been put in his place by our top footballers, maybe he’ll target the likes of Richard Branson, Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley and other CEOs in the FTSE 100. Will he shame these people into taking pay cuts to help the country? After all, we are all in this together, supposedly. Will he also attempt to shame the likes of Amazon and Google into paying fair rates of tax to help the NHS in this crisis? I leave readers to guess the answer.

Alan Mercer Chorley, Lancs

■ While the debate goes on about a cut in footballers’ pay during the coronavirus emergency, the question that urgently needs to be asked is, are we really in it together?

While Matt Hancock is happy to divert attention away from himself and the Government’s failings, up until now it is working people who have made sacrifices and taken cuts in pay.

What about the many millionaires, club owners, tax exiles, multi-national corporations and their directors, and especially the top 10% who own 90% of the country’s wealth? What sacrifices are they making?

David Williams, Wigan

■ Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has led the way among his fellow players who are to donate a decent percentage of their inflated salaries towards the NHS.

Players are stepping up, but Liverpool’s hierarchy have really scored an own goal.

Even though the powers that be at the club have reversed their decision to use the Government’s furlough scheme, the damage has been done. We’re one of the richest clubs in the world and are in touching distance of our first league title for 30 years, but this has been soured by the actions of our billionaire owners.

John Dutton, Wigan

■ Well done to the footballers for supporting the NHS.

There are 300 members of the House of Lords, all of whom receive £300 per day just for showing up.

If every one of them donated just one day’s payment, this would give the NHS £90,000, and if they donated just one day’s payment every month, this would be over £1m a year for our wonderful NHS. Sheila Fox, Crawley, West Sussex

■ Matt Hancock had a go at footballers who were already discussing options to assist the NHS.

But I’m still waiting for him to call out the likes of businessmen Richard Branson, Philip Green, Tim Martin and Mike Ashley, who expect taxpayers’ money to pay their staff.

John Austin, Liverpool

■ Matt Hancock wants footballers take a cut in their wages to “do their bit”. Would it not be appropriate for MPs and members of the Lords to do the same as they are not now attending Westminster? E Williamson, Barnsley, S Yorks