With Bournemouth manager, Eddie Howe becoming the first Premier League manager to take a voluntary pay cut – which led to fellow Premier League side Brighton, whose manager, Graham Potter, plus the club’s Chief Executive Paul Barber and Technical Director, Dan Ashworth, publically announcing that they too were each taking pay cuts during the current coronavirus pandemic, the UK government has ordered that footballers all the clubs in English football’s top flight should take a cut in their wages to help frontline services during the current crisis.
Health Minister, Matt Hancock, ordered footballers playing in England’s Premier League to take a pay cut and “play their part”.
However, Gordon Taylor, Chief Executive of the players’ union; the Professional Footballers’ Association will lead negotiations with the Premier League; after which the 20 clubs in the game’s top division will be updated on the next step.
They are seeking to agree a temporary cut, as there are increasing fears that deferring payments will put a massive burden on the clubs at a time when the world’s financial situation will be struggling.
Hancock plead with the top players, saying: “Given the sacrifices that so many people are making, including some of my colleagues in the NHS, who have made the ultimate sacrifice of going into work and have caught the disease and have sadly died, the first thing that the Premier League can do is make a contribution – take a pay cut and play their part”.
All Premier League clubs will be asking players to take a 30% pay cut in order to protect jobs. One club, however, Tottenham Hotspur, have moved to cut none-playing staff’s pay.
Many in - and out of - the game are urging top footballers in the country to not resist any pay cut in light of the present world situation.