“Cutting footballers’ salaries would harm the NHS”

[Milo]

The Professional Footballers' Association says proposals for a 30% pay cut for Premier League players would be "detrimental to our NHS".

The PFA also called on the league to increase its own £20m charity pledge.

The league wants players to take a 30% salary cut in order to protect jobs, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But the union says that equates to more than £500m in wage reductions, and a loss in tax contributions of more than £200m to the UK government.

The union also questioned Health Secretary Matt Hancock's public criticism of footballers' salaries during a news conference on Thursday.

"What effect does this loss of earning to the government mean for the NHS?" the statement read. "Was this considered in the Premier League proposal and did the Health Secretary factor this in when asking players to take a salary cut?"

Liverpool furlough some non-playing staff
The PFA said all Premier League players "will play their part in making significant financial contributions in these unprecedented times".

England manager Gareth Southgate is reported to have made such a gesture by agreeing a 30% pay cut, although the Football Association declined to confirm when asked by BBC Sport.

Top-flight professionals have been coming under increasing pressure to take a drop in pay, especially with five Premier League clubs - Liverpool, Newcastle, Tottenham, Bournemouth and Norwich - now placing some non-playing staff on furlough leave under the Government's coronavirus job retention scheme.

However, clubs themselves are understood to have financial concerns, with Burnley saying on Saturday they they faced a shortfall of £50m if the Premier League season was not completed.

Brighton chief executive Paul Barber, meanwhile, said the Premier League was not ignoring the plight of the general population during the coronavirus pandemic.

The PFA statement came hours after a conference call with the Premier League and the League Managers' Association (LMA), the managers' union, to discuss the wage cut plans.

Saturday's call, which featured a Premier League presentation of the wage cut plans, was concluded in less than an hour with no agreement reached.

The Premier League is not mandated to make a decision on wage cuts, as it has to be agreed by the players and coaches. Clubs and players are now set to discuss the plan, with talks set to go into next week.

As part of the proposals, the Premier League would advance £125m to the English Football League (EFL) and National League, and give £20m towards the NHS.

The PFA says it is happy to continue talks with the Premier League, although it added: "£20m is welcome, but we believe it could be far bigger.

"The EFL money is an advance. Importantly, it will aid cashflow in the immediate, but football needs to find a way to increase funding to the EFL and non-league clubs in the long-term.

"Many clubs require an increase in funding just to survive. We believe in our football pyramid and again stress the need for solidarity between all clubs.

"Going forward, we are working together to find a solution which will be continually reviewed in order to assess the circumstance of the Covid-19 crisis.

"The players are mindful that as PAYE employees, the combined tax on their salaries is a significant contribution to funding essential public services - which are especially critical at this time."

During Saturday's conference call, the Premier League warned that it faces a £762m financial penalty if the season does not resume, and broadcasters demanded refunds on games they could not show.

It added that hundreds of millions of pounds could be lost in sponsorship and matchday revenue because the season has been suspended, and that the campaign will almost certainly be played behind closed doors if it resumes.

Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport expressed concern about the situation: "People do not want to see infighting in our national sport at a time of crisis.

"Football must play its part to show that the sport understands the pressures its lower paid staff, communities and fans face."

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, England defender Danny Rose - on loan at Newcastle from Tottenham - said that Premier League players were keen to give up a portion of their wages to help good causes, but felt their "backs are against the wall" regarding the pressure they had faced to accept cuts.

Captains of Premier League clubs, led by Liverpool's Jordan Henderson, have been in talks over a plan to make charitable donations.

"We sort of feel that our backs are against the wall. Conversations were being had before people outside of football were commenting," Rose told the Friday Football Social.

"I've been on the phone to Jordan Henderson and he's working so hard to come up with something.

"It was just not needed for people who are not involved in football to tell footballers what they should do with their money. I found that so bizarre."

The Premier League declined to comment on the PFA statement.

'An unprecedented crisis' - analysis

Dan Roan, BBC sports editor

Rarely has the relationship between the Premier League's stars and their employers been so fragile. In an unprecedented crisis, the country's top footballers have found their voice like never before, exacerbating an unseemly row over money, and threatening to tear the sport apart in a way not seen since the threatened players' strike of 2001.

Tonight's remarkable statement represents an attempt by the players and the PFA to go on the offensive against not only their own clubs, but also their critics, including even the government.

They argue that the clubs' proposed 30% cut in wages would be counter-productive and detrimental to the NHS because of the loss in tax revenue it would result in.

They also suggest that the Premier League could be way more generous when it comes to their contributions to EFL clubs and to charity.

The Premier League had hoped today's conference call would convince the players of the need to accept the cut in pay that many politicians and members of the public have been calling for.

It seems that hope has proved naive however, and with clear tensions between the two sides, negotiations are now set to extend into next week.

[Milo]

Interesting debate

Ps. source BBC website this evening

[john dempsey]

i shall probably upset some people again but do you think
the royals civil list should be cut 30% ??

[St Eve]

Seems like most people are getting fired, laid off or furloughed. Not sure why footballers should be any different. Including Danny Rose

[Milo]

Think their argument is cutting salaries would reduce tax contributions hence NHS funding!

[Ged]

"If he's calling out footballers, call out some other people. Billionaires, tax exiles, bankers. The country bailed out the banks."

@JonWalters19 tells us why footballers are an easy target for politicians, who'd rather single them out than urge tax exiles to "play their part". https://t.co/R1lJKEDOWk

[Statto]

Already commented on this on another thread. Absolutely disgusting, not just that they'd push back on a relatively modest pay cut when they're being paid millions for doing literally nothing, but moreso, that they'd stoop so low as to pretend the reason is that they care about "our" NHS. There would be plenty of ways of avoiding the tax implications if tgst was really their concern. It's a shameless, disgusting lie to cling on to an extra million quid. It's important to acknowledge not every footballer would have been supportive of this statement, but nonetheless, it shows that many of them are just so out of touch with the real world.

[Statto]

"If he's calling out footballers, call out some other people. Billionaires, tax exiles, bankers. The country bailed out the banks."

@JonWalters19 tells us why footballers are an easy target for politicians, who'd rather single them out than urge tax exiles to "play their part". https://t.co/R1lJKEDOWk

Stupid comment from Walters (and his fellow moron Lineker said the same thing) that will resonate with a few scouse lefties but doesn't stand up to any intelligent analysis. Banks and most of the businesses that make people billionaires are far more useful to society than footballers. Most of them will have worked much longer and harder than footballers for their money. There are very few of them - only around 50 billionaires in this country. They're self-employed, and the loss of business in this period will almost certainly cost them much more than the 30% income cut proposed for footballers. And the government is already going after them, for example by stopping banks paying bonuses and shareholder dividends.

[Ged]

"If he's calling out footballers, call out some other people. Billionaires, tax exiles, bankers. The country bailed out the banks."

@JonWalters19 tells us why footballers are an easy target for politicians, who'd rather single them out than urge tax exiles to "play their part". https://t.co/R1lJKEDOWk

Stupid comment from Walters (and his fellow moron Lineker said the same thing) that will resonate with a few scouse lefties but doesn't stand up to any intelligent analysis. Banks and most of the businesses that make people billionaires are far more useful to society than footballers. Most of them will have worked much longer and harder than footballers for their money. There are very few of them - only around 50 billionaires in this country. They're self-employed, and the loss of business in this period will almost certainly cost them much more than the 30% income cut proposed for footballers. And the government is already going after them, for example by stopping banks paying bonuses and shareholder dividends.

"If he's calling out footballers, call out some other people. Billionaires, tax exiles, bankers. The country bailed out the banks."

@JonWalters19 tells us why footballers are an easy target for politicians, who'd rather single them out than urge tax exiles to "play their part". https://t.co/R1lJKEDOWk

Stupid comment from Walters (and his fellow moron Lineker said the same thing) that will resonate with a few scouse lefties but doesn't stand up to any intelligent analysis. Banks and most of the businesses that make people billionaires are far more useful to society than footballers. Most of them will have worked much longer and harder than footballers for their money. There are very few of them - only around 50 billionaires in this country. They're self-employed, and the loss of business in this period will almost certainly cost them much more than the 30% income cut proposed for footballers. And the government is already going after them, for example by stopping banks paying bonuses and shareholder dividends.

LOL where would we be without billionaire tax dodgers living in exile and or course banks who produce nothing

[Statto]

where would we be without billionaire tax dodgers living in exile

The nature of "tax dodgers living in exile" is that they are, believe it or not, in exile. So essentially out of reach. HMRC not being able to go after them is an unfortunate consequence of them being in exile, not a policy choice.

and or course banks who produce nothing

I presume you bought your home without a mortgage, store all your savings in cash under the floorboards, never had an overdraft or bought anything on finance, don't have a pension, never insured anything, never had to change your money into a foreign currency, never made an electronic payment (so never bought anything online) and never depended on or benefitted from anyone doing any of the foregoing (which is basically everything and everyone, except you). Well done!

[Woolly Mammoth]

I can see both sides of the debate and have empathy with all opinions, but I have to confess that Statto in his own unique eccentric way has made some important salient points that if you think about it has hit the nail firmly on the head.

[f321ffc]

I thought the idea of cutting players wages was to fund the salaries of non playing staff members.
Surely millionaire footballers wouldn't refuse that.

[Woolly Mammoth]

I thought the idea of cutting players wages was to fund the salaries of non playing staff members.
Surely millionaire footballers wouldn't refuse that.

Exactly

[Twig]

I thought the idea of cutting players wages was to fund the salaries of non playing staff members.
Surely millionaire footballers wouldn't refuse that.

Exactly

Then the best way might be for those players, paid above say £20k per week, to volunteer to pay a contribution out of their net salary. That way their tax contribution remains unaffected (although I tend to agree with Statto that this was a rather weak argument from the PFA).

[grandad]

There are many more bankers , hedge funders, CEO´s etc than PL footballers. Let them have a cut & cancel their bonuses first.

[Oakeshott]

Thoughtful piece by Wayne Rooney in today's Sunday Times on the issue of footballers' pay. Far from the usual virtue signalling by football celebrities. Probably ghost written but hopefully reflecting Rooney's views

Indeed, today's Sunday Times is particularly good, with interesting pieces by Matthew Syed and Dominic Lawson, and especially Jonathan Sumption.

[filham]

Well the PFA would say that wouldn't they.

[I Ronic]

I think Footballers are obvious targets. However there's  plenty more people out there earning huge amounts (and not just till they're in their mid thirties)
Is Mike Ashley taking a pay cut? Directors of Banks, Entertainers etc. The silence there is deafening.

[Statto]

Is Mike Ashley taking a pay cut?

I'm certainly no fan of Mike Ashley but to take him as an example, his firm's share price has lost more than 60% of its value in recent weeks. So yes.

[Buffalo76]

The Premier League's donation to the NHS of £20m seems a bit small considering how many millions it generates every season.  They should double the amount at the very least.