Premier League
ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP PLAYERS KICK AGAINST WAGE CUT
The Professional Footballers’ Association, the union representing English Premier League footballers, has warned of a £200 million (S$353 million) shortfall for British government coffers if a sweeping cut in wages is introduced to offset the financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
In the past few days, clubs and players’ representatives have been in talks over a combination of pay cuts and deferrals amounting to 30 percent of their annual salary.
However, an agreement has yet to be reached, with the Athletic yesterday reporting that most players will only accept a deferral in wages.
The sports website also said another sticking point is an unwillingness to take on extra media duties.
Clubs have asked their players to fulfil more off-field commitments to give rights holders content in the absence of games – something that they are reluctant to do “out of principle”, especially if wage cuts or deferrals are imposed.
The PFA also feels it is far too simplistic to lambast multi-millionaire footballers for not agreeing to sacrifice their pay.
The proposed 30 per cent salary deduction over a 12-month period equates to over £500 million in wage reductions and a loss in tax contributions of over £200 million to the government.
“What effect does this loss of earning to the government mean for the National Health Service (NHS)?” the PFA said in a statement. “All Premier League players want to, and will, play their part in making significant financial contributions in these unprecedented times.
“We welcomed the opportunity to discuss this with the Premier League and we are happy to continue talks.”
The highly charged issue will continue to take centre stage even as Britain grapples with Covid-19 after Liverpool on Saturday night became the latest club to put some of their non-playing staff on furlough.
The decision by the Premier League leaders, who are just two wins shy of their first English title in 30 years and in February announced pre-tax profits of £42 million in the 2018-19 season, has drawn heavy criticism from former Anfield favourites.
Under the scheme, which Newcastle, Tottenham, Bournemouth and Norwich have already signed up for, the British government will pay 80 per cent of wages, but some of Liverpool’s former stalwarts have been left far from impressed.
“(Manager) Jurgen Klopp showed compassion for all at the start of this pandemic… Then all that respect and goodwill is lost, poor this,” tweeted former defender Jamie Carragher. His former teammate Dietmar Hamann called the decision “contrary to the morals and values of the club”.
“Astonished by the news Liverpool takes advantage of the furlough scheme,” he tweeted. “That’s not what it was designed for.”
While British society debates over Premier League clubs and players not showing enough empathy with the less privileged, Wayne Rooney yesterday stood up for his fellow professionals, insisting they were “easy targets”.
There have been multiple reports of footballers like Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson giving back to society, while England manager Gareth Southgate has also reportedly taken a 30 per cent pay cut.
On helping out the less fortunate, Rooney, the former England captain and Manchester United striker, said he had both the means and will to make financial contributions, but felt the public pressure being exerted on his peers was unhelpful.
“If the government approached me to help support nurses financially or to buy ventilators, I’d be proud to do so – as long as I knew where the money was going,” he wrote in The Times of London.
“I’m in a place where I could give something up. Not every footballer is in the same position… Why are we suddenly the scapegoats?
“How the past few days have played out is a disgrace. In my opinion, it is now a no-win situation.”
Pundit Gary Lineker agreed with Rooney, claiming footballers were being “picked on”. He told the BBC: “Nobody seems to talk about the bankers, the chief executive officers, huge millionaires. Are they standing up? Are they being asked to stand up? We don’t know.”
AFP, Reuters
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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