In the aftermath of a decision made by Liverpool's owners to furlough non-playing staff amid the ongoing uncertainty of the coronavirus, Jamie Carragher and Didi Hamann have been among those who have criticised the club.
On Saturday afternoon, Liverpool announced their decision to furlough a number of their non-playing staff as the uncertainty surrounding football's return shows no sign of abating.
Jamie Carragher, a Liverpool native who memorably helped the club to Champions League success in 2005, has taken to his Twitter account this afternoon to publicly criticise the actions of the club's hierarchy.
"Jurgen Klopp showed compassion for all at the start of this pandemic," he wrote, "senior players heavily involved in Premier League players taking wage cuts.
"Then all that respect & goodwill is lost, poor this Liverpool."
Jurgen Klopp showed compassion for all at the start of this pandemic, senior players heavily involved in @premierleague players taking wage cuts. Then all that respect & goodwill is lost, poor this @LFC https://t.co/9bE8Rw1veE
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) April 4, 2020
Subsequently, Dietmar Hamann, the German international who spent seven seasons with the club, shared his distaste for the decision.
Astonished by the news that @lfc takes advantage of the furlough scheme to claim 80 % of non playing staffs wages back of the government. That’s not what the scheme was designed for. Contrary to the morals and values of the club i got to know
— Didi Hamann (@DietmarHamann) April 4, 2020
In a statement released by the club on Saturday afternoon, Liverpool's hierarchy explained that their furloughed staff would remain paid throughout the uncertainty.
"The club have confirmed those staff will be paid 100 per cent of their salaries to ensure no member of staff is financially disadvantaged," the statement read. "Last month the club also confirmed that it would pay its match-day and non-match-day staff while the Premier League is suspended.
"Even prior to the decision on staff furloughing, there was a collective commitment at senior levels of the club - on and off the pitch - with everyone working towards a solution that secures jobs for employees of the club during this unprecedented crisis.
"There is ongoing active engagement about the topic of salary deductions during the period matches are not being played to schedule. These discussions are complex and as a result the process is ongoing."
In being furloughed, the vast proportion of financial responsibility for Liverpool's staff will now fall on the British government, and not Liverpool.
It is a decision that has similarly been made by Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
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