PFA refuse to consider wage cuts for footballers

MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - MARCH 03: PFA Secretary Gordon Taylor pictured outside of their Manchester office circa 1991. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Allsport/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Gordon Taylor

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor told the Premier League and EFL on Wednesday that he will not agree to his members (footballers) taking a pay cut even while clubs face financial ruin and non-playing staff are being furloughed.

According to The Guardian, only wage deferrals are ‘sensible’ and will be considered by the PFA. It is said that they were told ‘that normal conditions cannot apply now and that players will have to share some of the game’s financial losses’.

Tottenham, Norwich, Newcastle and Bournemouth are four Premier League clubs who have already furloughed some non-playing staff, while Cherries boss Eddie Howe is the first top-flight manager to take a voluntary pay cut.

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There are some Premier League clubs who are not pushing for wage cuts or deferrals as they have enough money to pay playing and non-playing staff, but others are contemplating either deferrals or wage cuts.

Further down the pyramid, several clubs have already agreed pay cuts or wage deferrals with their staff, with some in League One and Two preparing to furlough footballers as well as non-playing staff.

The PFA will speak again to the leagues on Thursday as there is mounting pressure from both media and public to see footballers take a financial hit along with the rest of the country.

A YouGov poll found 92 per cent of respondents felt Premier League players should take a wage cut to reflect the loss of revenue created by the Covid-19 outbreak, with more than two-thirds saying the cut should be at least 50 per cent.