EPL to push players for 30% wage cut, restart date on hold

The Premier League has said its clubs will consult with their players over a proposed 30% reduction in wages and the suspended season would only resume when it was “safe and appropriate”.

The league accepted that a previous target of returning to action in early May would not now happen and said on Friday it was keeping the restart date under “constant review”.

While there has been speculation about a reduced season or even abandoning this campaign, the league said it remained their aim to complete all remaining domestic league and cup matches.

“However, any return to play will only be with the full support of Government and when medical guidance allows,” it added in a statement.

With lower league clubs facing a cash-flow crisis due to the coronavirus outbreak, the top-flight teams voted to make an advance of 125 million pounds to the Football League (EFL) and National League sides.

The EFL, which consists of the 72 professional clubs in the three divisions below the Premier League, said the cash they would receive from the top flight includes early solidarity payments, parachute payments and Academy Grants.

Much of the focus of talks between officials this week has been the issue of player compensation during the halt in play.

The league said its clubs “unanimously agreed to consult their players regarding a combination of conditional reductions and deferrals amounting to 30 percent of total annual remuneration”.

Talks with the players’ union, the PFA, will continue on Saturday, as the two sides seek an agreement on compensation during the stoppage.

The Premier League also said it was “committing 20 million pounds to support the NHS (National Health Service), communities, families and vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This includes a direct financial contribution to the NHS and funds to enable clubs to refocus their efforts and develop significant outreach programmes to help communities, including those most in need.”

Less than 24 hours after Health Minister Matt Hancock said players should take a pay cut and “play their part” in the national effort to tackle the pandemic, two moves also emerged from the players themselves.

Meanwhile, Manchester United players will donate 30% of their wages to local hospitals and health services in the first major coronavirus gesture from a full Premier League squad.

The move was the idea of club captain Harry Maguire and was given full backing by the players, the Daily Mail reported on Friday.

United are continuing to pay all matchday staff during the crisis and have not sought to use the government’s furlough scheme to help struggling companies protect jobs.

The independent move by United players came as talks continued between the PFA players’ union and the Football League and Football Association, looking at possible wage cuts or deferrals during the current shutdown of the game.

Professional football in England has been suspended until April 30, at the earliest, due to the pandemic with some top- flight clubs putting non-playing staff on leave.

Prominent opposition Labour MP David Lammy had earlier said: “It’s criminal that Premier League footballers haven’t moved more quickly to take pay cuts and deferrals.”

The comments from politicians led a number of former players to rush to the defence of their profession.

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville, now a television pundit and businessman, defended the players and turned on the health minister.

“The PL players are more than likely working on a proposal to help clubs, communities and The NHS. It takes longer than 2 weeks to put together.

Ex-Manchester City and Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton, now manager of League One (third tier) Fleetwood Town, said Hancock was diverting attention on to football.

“NHS under funded and mismanaged for decades? That’ll be the Premier League footballers fault. Wake up! This is about shifting the focus away from the government handling this pandemic horrendously,” he wrote on twitter.

Ex-England striker Gary Lineker, now presenter of the highlights show Match of the Day, said the players deserved time.

Responding to arguments that players in Italy and Spain had made greater sacrifices, Lineker said: “They’re a few weeks ahead of us in Spain and Italy as everybody knows. Give the players a chance to help the situation. I’m positive they will do what’s right. If it transpires that they don’t, I’ll be their harshest critic. Let’s see before we judge.”

Agencies