[Football] If A Club Furlough's Staff Should They Still Buy Players?

[GT49er]

This crisis is really going to sort the men from the boys. I am staggered that the EPL, full of super rich owners and super rich players, haven’t already come out with a range of voluntary measures to support lower league clubs and society in general. Some have (albeit the gestures are relatively small in the scheme of things).

You could probably guess that the likes of Newcastle and Jack Grealish would exhibit the least class. Bournemouth are another example of an organisation reverting to type (no shame over cheating their way to the Premier League 5 or 6 years ago).

Agree with the sentiments, but why are you staggered that the EFL hasn't come up with a scheme which will cost money with no financial return for them?



Just asking for a friend .................................

 

[Jim in the West]

Agree with the sentiments, but why are you staggered that the EFL hasn't come up with a scheme which will cost money with no financial return for them?



Just asking for a friend .................................

Maybe "staggered" was the wrong word! Disappointed, perhaps...

Tbh, I haven't come across many decent gestures ANYWHERE (let alone football). I think Roger Federer has given CHF 1m to Swiss charities, and Rihanna has donated something. But the super rich seem to be clinging on to their money, generally.

 

[father_and_son]

Today's news has stated that Norwich, Newcastle and Spurs are some of the clubs using tax payers money to furlough their non-playing staff.
This means that we the tax payer are funding 80% of their wages.

I have no problem with this if the club can't afford to pay them. The individuals all deserve to be paid.
But how will that look when the transfer window opens if those clubs pay out multi-millions to buy new players?

I feel they should be made to repay the amount paid out to furlough their staff before they purchase any new players.

Provided *everyone* at the club is subject to the same rules then I see it as reasonable. So... If the players and Board have their salaries capped at £2,500 per month and the club *still* need financial help to ensure the groundstaff, cleaners, cooks, etc still get paid, then it's a fair call.

When the club's start to receive an income again (I'm assuming their income from Sky is stopped... Not heard a definitive answer on that) then they should have to face the media backlash of not repaying the grants received if they choose not to voluntarily return what they received (which, let's face it, will be a drop in the ocean of the money they get from TV rights).

The legal position seems straightforward at the moment. They can claim this grant same as any other business. However, continuing to pay the highest earners eye watering sums while claiming government handouts MUST be made into a PR disaster for those responsible. Any CEO doing this should be hounded out of their job by the adverse publicity once all this has settled down.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

There won’t be many transfers this summer

So I wouldn’t worry about it!

 

[GT49er]

The legal position seems straightforward at the moment. They can claim this grant same as any other business. However, continuing to pay the highest earners eye watering sums while claiming government handouts MUST be made into a PR disaster for those responsible. Any CEO doing this should be hounded out of their job by the adverse publicity once all this has settled down.

They should be ....................................... but they won't.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Clearly there should be a collective agreement on this issue with the PFA, EPL, Football League all singing from the same hymnsheet.

However, in the absence of such an agreement I think two or three like-minded clubs should have the balls to say all squad players are going to take a 25% pay cut to subsidise the wages of non-playing staff.

I think it would be a massive thing for football if - say - Tony Bloom and Steve Parish made a joint announcement that they'd put their Albion - Palace rivalry aside and committed to this reduction.

Without integrity sport becomes nothing but a business without soul.

Here, I'm minded that the actions of Canada and Australia in having the guts to withdraw their athletes from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics hastened the decision to do the right thing and postpone the Olympic Games.

I applaud the rugby union Premier League clubs who have asked all of their players to take a 25% wage cut.

 

[atomised]

Maybe "staggered" was the wrong word! Disappointed, perhaps...

Tbh, I haven't come across many decent gestures ANYWHERE (let alone football). I think Roger Federer has given CHF 1m to Swiss charities, and Rihanna has donated something. But the super rich seem to be clinging on to their money, generally.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/foot...sh-brighton-coronavirus-iran-donation-qazvin/

Seemed a pretty decent gesture to me

 

[Springal]

The legal position seems straightforward at the moment. They can claim this grant same as any other business. However, continuing to pay the highest earners eye watering sums while claiming government handouts MUST be made into a PR disaster for those responsible. Any CEO doing this should be hounded out of their job by the adverse publicity once all this has settled down.

What is the cut off by the way? Like which clubs is it and isn't it acceptable for? Or in fact businesses?

And also is it not the taxes of those same 'eye wateringly paid' wages that is going to be used to fund this & pay it back in the future?

Anyway it sounds like the PFA are negotiating at the moment so I expect we'll see something on players wages shortly

 

[Hampster Gull]

I never thought I'd say this to one of your posts but this. THIS!

I have my house cleaned every week. Same person for nearly 20 years. I'm paying her 100% of what I would pay her, to not clean my house. Not a lot of money to me, a lot to her. That's what everyone should be doing if they can. From each accrding to their ability, to each according to their need. FFS.

Something tells me many clubs can't. Overstretched. Who knew? [MENTION=31]El Presidente[/MENTION] knew. If they could pay up they would, to dodge the opprobrium that will doubtless come their way when the dust settles.

You f'cked your own staff
You f'cked your own staff
You greedy b'stards
You f'cked your own staff

We have had our cleaner for two months and we’ve decided the same, took about 5 seconds to think through. I hope the other 9 houses she cleans are doing the same

 

[Hampster Gull]

Clearly there should be a collective agreement on this issue with the PFA, EPL, Football League all singing from the same hymnsheet.

However, in the absence of such an agreement I think two or three like-minded clubs should have the balls to say all squad players are going to take a 25% pay cut to subsidise the wages of non-playing staff.

I think it would be a massive thing for football if - say - Tony Bloom and Steve Parish made a joint announcement that they'd put their Albion - Palace rivalry aside and committed to this reduction.

Without integrity sport becomes nothing but a business without soul.

Here, I'm minded that the actions of Canada and Australia in having the guts to withdraw their athletes from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics hastened the decision to do the right thing and postpone the Olympic Games.

I applaud the rugby union Premier League clubs who have asked all of their players to take a 25% wage cut.

This

 

[father_and_son]

What is the cut off by the way? Like which clubs is it and isn't it acceptable for? Or in fact businesses?

And also is it not the taxes of those same 'eye wateringly paid' wages that is going to be used to fund this & pay it back in the future?

Anyway it sounds like the PFA are negotiating at the moment so I expect we'll see something on players wages shortly

Firstly... When do the eye-wateringly paid *ever* come out anything other than up on the deal. To paraphrase a line from The Big Short when talking about the banking collapse of 2008, "it is always poor people and immigrants who get the blame and pay the price."

Don't think it's utterly unreasonable to say "if anyone drops to 80% then the board must also drop to 80%". Add to that anyone at the company earning over, say, £150k in a non-board position must also drop to 80%.

Specifically related to football. A windfall tax of 20% of all transfer fees for players moving within the same or to a higher division or from a different country. This would stop or at least mitigate clubs using these grants to skim money from taxpayers to then squander on ever increasing transfer fees and/or pay ridiculous salaries/bonuses whilst f**king over the most vulnerable.
Legislation would be required to ensure those players who are quite happy to behave like cjtc's during this pandemic cannot sue owners/clubs for trying to make everyone do their part.

Hopefully football will see that it needs to man up here and the PFA give some ground instead of blinding supporting their members to the detriment of the whole of society. Some voluntary action this week and maybe they don't all come out of this looking like utter c*nts.
Grealish and Levy are among those looking most c*ntish so far IMHO. Leeds and Birmingham clubs/players looking the most reasonable (in the UK) so hats off to them.