Premier League players should agree to pay cuts amid coronavirus crisis, says UK official

"Every Premier League player should agree to a pay cut and display wider maturity", claimed UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock earlier this week. UK has emerged as one of the worst-affected countries by the coronavirus pandemic in the world. The country has been under complete lockdown with all sporting events suspended until the end of April due to the spread of coronavirus in UK.

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Premier League players pay cut: Matt Hancock speaks on pay cut policy

The Premier League players pay cut statement from Matt Hancock comes at a time when some Premier League clubs have furloughed non-playing staff, but have not considered reducing players’ wages. During a daily government briefing, Matt Hancock claimed that every Premier League player should take a pay cut considering the sacrifice of many others behind the scenes. Amid Premier League players pay cut appeal, it should be noted that Hancock himself tested positive for coronavirus recently.

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Premier League players pay cut: PFA urges players to accept pay cut

The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) has spoken on the Premier League players pay cut incident. It said that the players should share the financial burden during such testing times. The statement further stated that the PFA was aware of the public sentiment and that the Premier League players should pay the non-playing workers’ salaries. However, the PFA feels that if the club possesses the financial muscle to pay both the players and the non-playing staff, then they should.

Premier League players pay cut: Several clubs to utilise government scheme

The PFA statement on Premier League players' pay cut claimed that it has spoken to several players who feel that it was unfair from the clubs to furlough the club staff. The UK government has come out with a job retention scheme to cope with job losses due to coronavirus. Premier League sides such as Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Norwich City have decided to utilise the job retention scheme.

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Coronavirus in UK: Premier League players with coronavirus

Here's an update on the Premier League players with coronavirus. According to official reports, two Premier League players with coronavirus have been confirmed. These include Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi and Aston Villa goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Hudson-Odoi has recovered from the coronavirus, but Reina is still undergoing treatment. Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who tested positive for coronavirus has recovered too. 

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