British health secretary Matt Hancock has asked Premier League players to “take a pay cut” as some clubs use a government scheme to furlough staff but continue to pay players in full.
The Professional Footballers’ Association 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.
The government and players’ union appear to agree wealthy clubs should not be using the furloughing scheme to fund wages of non-playing staff.
English football is operating in a “moral vacuum,” according to Julian Knight, who chairs the House of Commons select committee overseeing sports.
