A British MP says Premier League clubs should be sanctioned if they continue to pay their players while furloughing other staff.
Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Norwich City and Bournemouth have placed employees on the UK government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which guarantees 80 per cent of their wages up to £2,500 a month.
Julian Knight is the Conservative MP for Solihull and is also chair of the UK parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
He says it’s “morally wrong” that clubs continue to pay players their full wage during the crisis while placing staff on leaves of absence.
The average income of a Premier League player is £3million (€3.42million) per annum according to the most recent statistics.
In letters (see below) to British Chancellor Rishi Sunak and the Premier League, Knight says, "The purpose of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is not to support the economics of Premier League clubs who should play their part in dealing with this crisis and set a good example."
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe and his Brighton counterpart Graham Potter have both taken voluntary pay cuts, along with other senior members at their respective clubs.
Meanwhile, talks between the Premier League, English Football League (EFL), Professional Footballers Association (PFA) and League Managers Association (LMA) are continuing over potential wage deferrals.
They've been unable to reach a solution, with the PFA believed to be the ones digging in their heels on the matter.
In his letter Knight says "lessons should be learnt from European clubs including Bayern Munich, Juventus and Barcelona where players have all agreed to take pay reductions."
Knight suggests that clubs should be subject to a 'windfall tax' to "recover a substantial proportion of the money that clubs are paying to players" to reimburse non-playing staff.
He's told the Premier League he wants a response outlining their course of action by close of business on Tuesday April 7.
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