Former Manchester City and Juventus star Carlos Tevez has this evening urged fellow footballers around the globe to play their part in aiding those most in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Premier League stars stand firm
One of the major talking points surrounding English football over recent days has been a lack of cuts in player wages.
Across Europe, heavyweights such as Juventus and Barcelona have already announced major wage-cuts for their respective first-team squads, with the Bianconeri’s stars having gone as far as to forego pay packets for the next 4 months.
Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, were the latest top club to follow suit this afternoon, as Diego Simeone’s squad agreed to slash their wages by 70%.
OFFICIAL: Atletico Madrid have confirmed players will take a 70% pay cut in order to continue paying the salaries of the club’s 430 non-playing staff. pic.twitter.com/k1GeQLEaog
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) April 2, 2020
To this point, however, no Premier League club have confirmed the implementation of such measures.
All of Newcastle United, Tottenham and Norwich City have announced that non-playing staff have been placed on furlough over the last 48 hours, but, as things stand, players across the English top-flight remain unaffected.
A statement on the part of the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association) this evening even went as far as to suggest that players are refusing to consider the possibility of pay-cuts:
PFA statement makes it clear players effectively refusing to take pay cuts and calls out clubs for furloughing staff and asking players to take a drop in wages when they can afford to pay them.
— John Cross (@johncrossmirror) April 2, 2020
‘We are not in the same despair’
Such a stance has unsurprisingly been met with derision on the part of the general public, with many beginning to call into question the priorities of Premier League clubs and players alike.
And, as outlined above, one individual who has today urged footballers to sacrifice wherever possible to ensure that those most in need are taken care of during the COVID-19 crisis is Carlos Tevez.
Speaking on America TV in his native Argentina, Boca Juniors striker Tevez was keen to highlight the difference between the financial stability of a top-level footballer and those struggling to provide for their children, even going as far as to suggest that ‘a footballer can live six months or a year without receiving [wages].’
‘We are not in the same despair as those who live with kids every day, who have to leave their house at six in the morning and return at seven in the evening to feed the family.’
‘We are not an example in this case; yes in other things. We have to be there and help. It is easy for me to speak from home, knowing that I have food for my children.’
‘But desperate people, who cannot move and cannot leave the house. That is worrying.’
Quotes via Goal
Best Netflix, Amazon & YouTube football documentaries & movies to watch during coronavirus isolation
Best football podcasts to listen to during coronavirus quarantine
9 best football documentaries to watch on ESPN+ during COVID-19 quarantine
