Premier League players are “mindful of their social responsibilities” and “prepared to step up to the mark” during the coronavirus pandemic, Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) chief executive, Gordon Taylor, said, as talks are on-going about a collective pay deal in response to criticize.

The Premier League proposed a 30% pay cut, but the PFA that it would harm the NHS (National Health Service).

“It is a question of asking players to be involved”, Taylor said.

Players in the Premier League are planning to start negotiations on a club–by-club basis over proposed wage cuts.

It comes after talks aimed at a collective pay deal in response to the Covid-19 crisis broke down without resolution over the weekend.

The row has escalated into one of the most serious disputes between players and clubs in the league’s history.

Recent headlines concerning Premier League players have put some international stars in the spotlight which has cast doubts over their future at club and international levels after flouting the lockdown steps set-out by the government.

Regular England full-back, Manchester City’s Kyle Walker faces never to play for his country again after manager, Gareth Southgate was said to be ‘livid’ after Walker ignored government rules and had a £2,000 sex party with prostitutes.

His club has opened an internal investigation and they said that they will fine him and take the relevant actions accordingly.

This follows Jack Grealish; the Aston Villa midfielder who had to make a grovelling apology after he broke the lockdown rules after the 24-year-old revealed that he left his home to visit a friend, despite being instructed to staying at home to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

He did say, however, accepting his club’s fine and disciplinary measures with the proceeds from the Villa captain going direct to the University Hospital Charity in Birmingham.

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Baku City Circuit (BCC) has taken the decision to postpone the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2020 due to take place on June 5^th – 7^th.

The postponement was agreed upon after extensive discussions with Formula 1 as well as the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the Government of the Azerbaijan Republic. This comes as a direct result of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and has been based entirely on the expert guidance provided to us by the relevant authorities.

In coming to this conclusion, BCC’s primary concern throughout has been the health and well-being of the Azerbaijani people as well as all visiting F1 fans, staff and championship participants.

BCC say they share their fans disappointment at not being able to experience the pinnacle of motorsport race through the streets of Baku this June. To that end, they will continue to work closely with Formula 1, the FIA and the Government of the Azerbaijan Republic to monitor the situation with a view to announcing a new race date later in the 2020 season.

All tickets for the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2020 will continue to be valid, without any additional formalities required. As soon as the new date of the Grand Prix is confirmed, all spectators will be informed accordingly about the available options, both for those who have purchased their tickets through the Baku City Circuit’s website (www.bakucitycircuit.com) and through other channels.

The thoughts of everyone at Baku City Circuit during this challenging and unprecedented situation go out to all those directly and indirectly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

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.

As everyone is aware, we are living through extraordinary times and none of us can predict the future or speculate when the current situation will end.

As a club and business, we are having to make difficult decisions to navigate these unchartered waters and ensure the Club is in a position to continue its exciting journey when we come through this global emergency.  

We would all love the season to be back underway immediately, but all Rugby activities are currently suspended and there are no guarantees as to when we might start playing again. In light of the latest advice and information from the Government, along with the pattern of escalation we have seen in the last few days, businesses around the world are being heavily impacted and we, Wasps, are no different.

With this in mind, we need to take some extremely difficult and significant action to reduce costs immediately so we can resume doing what we love when this is all over. The impact of these decisions is going to be felt across the whole business.

Having discussed this situation at length with my colleagues from across the league, as well as Premiership Rugby, we are putting in place salary reductions of 25 per cent across the majority of the Rugby department until we are playing Gallagher Premiership matches again.

These measures will take effect from 1 April 2020. A number of lower paid staff will be excluded from these salary reductions.

I spoke with Lee Blackett and senior members of the playing squad last night, and we then communicated this message to the wider team and colleagues. I could not be more proud of their response, understanding and determination to help the Club in such testing times. The same is true of the players’ efforts to support our wider community stay connected and keep talking, which I am sure you will be aware of.

These are extraordinary times which call for extraordinary and robust measures. We do not know with any certainty how long these reductions will be in place, but we will review the situation on an ongoing basis and continue to keep the entire Wasps family up to date with developments.

This great Club has a proud history spanning over 150 years and, with everyone working together, we will ensure it has a great future.

He was the face of Formula One throughout the world, but now, former Formula One chief, Bernie Ecclestone, is preparing for a new ‘addition’ to his high portfolio as he has announced that he is due to be a father again, at the age of 89.

The former F1 chief, who managed several teams before becoming head of the sport itself has announced that his third wife, Fabiana Flosi, is pregnant with what would be his fourth child – which is expected to be his first son.

The former motor racing driver has three daughters from his previous two marriages – Deborah, 65, from first wife Ivy Bamford , with Tamar, 35 and Petra, 31 from second wife, the Croatian model Slavica Radic.

He also has five grandchildren.

Ecclestone and 44-year-old Marketing Director, Fiana – both of whom who are currently in isolation at their farm in Sao Paolo, in her native Brazil - got married in 2012.

A delighted Bernie said: “I just want them (the baby and Fabiana) to be healthy.

“With her running her own coffee plantation I just want everything to be good”.

“Hopefully he doesn’t have any interest on Formula One”, Fabiana added.

The contract to redevelop Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium into a high-quality venue for diverse sporting, leisure, community and cultural events has been awarded by Birmingham City Council to McLaughlin & Harvey.

McLaughlin & Harvey has a strong track record in undertaking large prestigious projects across the UK and has previously successfully completed projects for major games events, including the London Olympics, and sporting developments for numerous football and rugby clubs.

The Alexander Stadium project, a scheme worth an overall £72million, received unanimous support from the Birmingham City Council Planning Committee in January 2020. It will see the venue’s permanent capacity increased from 12,700 to 18,000 – with the ability to temporarily increase up to a maximum of 40,000 for major events.

The regeneration of Perry Barr, which has the stadium at the centre, represents more than £500million of investment in the coming years, the wider plans for the area also include new housing, improved transport and related upgrades to infrastructure and public space.

The revamped stadium is set to host a range of tenants including the world-famous Birchfield Harriers Athletics Club and Birmingham City University.  Acting as the new home for the university’s sports and exercise students, it will bring an exciting new partnership and purpose to the stadium beyond athletics.