EPL suspended indefinitely, players to be asked for wage cut

The English Premier League was suspended indefinitely on Friday following a meeting of its 20 clubs, who discussed financial painkiller measures including asking players to take a substantial pay cut during the coronavirus outbreak.

Having previously given a tentative — and improbable -- return date of April 30, the world's richest league said the season would not be resuming at the start of May and "will only return when it is safe and appropriate to do so," and only with the full support of government and medical guidance. Teams have nine or 10 games left to play in the Premier League, with Liverpool — the leader by 25 points — still needing two more wins to clinch its first title since 1990. The FA Cup is at the quarterfinal stage.

"There is a combined objective for all remaining domestic league and cup matches to be played," the league said, "enabling us to maintain the integrity of each competition."

UEFA, in a letter signed by the European Club Association and the European Leagues, has urged members not to abandon their competitions. Halting leagues without approval from UEFA could see teams blocked from qualifying for the Champions League and Europa League as they are determined based on final positions in domestic standings. The meeting, which was held by video conference, came at the end of a week when Premier League players came under growing pressure to forego some of their salaries to help protect the jobs of club staff. Tottenham and Newcastle are among those to have furloughed non-playing staff during soccer's shutdown and, on Thursday, British health secretary Matt Hancock called on Premier League players to "take a pay cut and play their part."

The league said clubs agreed to consult players over a wage deduction or deferral of 30% "in the face of substantial and continuing losses," adding there would be meeting on Saturday between the players' union, the league, players, and club representatives.

Talks were held separately on Friday between captains of the Premier League clubs over the creation of a fund to raise money for Britain's National Health Service, which is being overwhelmed during the pandemic.

Following its meeting, the league said it was committing 20 million pounds ($24 million) to the NHS and other vulnerable groups.

In another financial commitment, the league voted to advance funds of 125 million pounds ($150 million) to clubs in the English Football League and fifth-tier National League, many of which are struggling to cope with the financial consequences of the suspension of matches.

That sum — which takes in solidarity payments, so-called "parachute payments" to teams relegated from the Premier League, and academy grants -would usually have been paid in August, the first month of the English season.

The EFL — the three divisions below the Premier League — and the Women's Super League also were halted indefinitely.

Premier League stars face backlash over pay during pandemic

The request to Premier League players from British health secretary Matt Hancock was direct: "Take a pay cut."

The swift response from the Professional Footballers' Association on Thursday: Maybe, but not yet.

Hancock's comments reflected growing public pressure in Britain for players in the world's richest football league to follow the example of clubs in Spain and forego some of their wages to help pay the salaries of staff during the coronavirus pandemic.

With soccer on hold across Europe, players at Barcelona and Atlético Madrid have taken pay cuts of 70%, but English clubs have yet to announce any similar measures. Tottenham and other clubs have even said they plan to use a government scheme to help pay the wages of club staff during the shutdown, effectively using tax payer money as a bailout despite making record revenues last season. The government, though, seems to telling clubs to pay their own way.

"Everybody needs to play their part in this national effort and that means Premier League footballers too," Hancock, who oversees the National Health Service, said from Downing Street. "Given the sacrifices that many people are making, including some of my colleagues in the NHS who have made the ultimate sacrifice of going into work and have caught the disease and have sadly died, I think the first thing that Premier League footballers can do is make a contribution, take a pay cut and play their part."

The English players' union has been in talks with the Premier League about a collective agreement about deferring or reducing wages but there was no resolution by Thursday night.

"We are aware of the public sentiment that the players should pay non-playing staff's salaries," the PFA said. "However, our current position is that — as businesses — if clubs can afford to pay their players and staff, they should."

That public sentiment grew when Tottenham, which reached the Champions League final last season and is among the 10 biggest money-makers in club football worldwide, announced its 550 non-playing staff members would have their pay cut by 20% or be furloughed.

Under the job retention scheme hastily implemented last month as the national coronavirus lockdown was implemented, staff put on furlough can receive 80% of their salaries from the government, up to a maximum of 2,500 pounds ($3,000) a month.

Fellow Premier League clubs Bournemouth, Newcastle and Norwich have also announced plans to furlough staff. However, the players union doesn't like those measures either.

"The players we have spoken to recognize that the non-playing staff are a vital part of their club and they do not want to see club staff furloughed unfairly," the PFA said. "Any use of the government's support schemes without genuine financial need is detrimental to the wider society."

English football is operating in a "moral vacuum," according to Julian Knight, who chairs the House of Commons select committee overseeing sports and asked the treasury to consider a windfall tax on Premier League clubs.

Many of the English clubs are owned by billionaires from around the world — including Tottenham, whose owner Joe Lewis has an a wealth valued at more than 4 billion pounds by The Sunday Times Rich List.

"In instances where clubs have the resources to pay all staff, the benefit of players paying nonplaying staff salaries will only serve the business of the club's shareholders," the PFA said.

Adding to pressure on players to reduce pay, two Premier League managers — Brighton's Graham Potter and Bournemouth's Eddie Howe — decided this week to take voluntary salary cuts to ease the financial challenges facing their clubs. The issue will be debated by the 20 Premier League clubs on Friday when they hold their latest emergency conference call. The issue of the resumption of the competition is also on the agenda. English football was shut down on March 13 and will not return until May — at the earliest.

The number of virus-related deaths in Britain has accelerated this week. Government figures on Thursday showed the country had 33,718 confirmed cases and 2,921 deaths — an increase of 569 deaths from the day before.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older adults and people with health problems, it can cause severe conditions like pneumonia and is sometimes fatal.