As confirmed across social media this afternoon, Liverpool have placed a number of the club’s non-playing staff on furlough, as the Reds aim to cut costs during the coronavirus crisis.
PL halted
The devastating effects of COVID-19 have taken centre stage in world news over the course of the last month.
One area of society to have understandably been hit hard by the pandemic, meanwhile, has been sport.
Professional football has come almost to a complete standstill across the globe, with Belarus the only European country in which top-flight action continues to take place.
This of course also means that all Premier League fixtures have been postponed for the time being.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 23: A general view of the Nike Merlin matchball during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Watford FC at Old Trafford on February 23, 2020 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
An update on the situation in England, though, was forthcoming yesterday afternoon.
A statement on behalf of Premier League authorities confirmed that, despite initial plans for a return to action at the end of April, the English game will remain shelved until it is considered ‘safe and appropriate’.
The Premier League’s overriding priority is to aid the health and wellbeing of the nation and our communities. The 2019/20 season will only return when it is safe and appropriate to do so.
Full statement: https://t.co/Tv9Leq4GGp#WeAreOneTeam pic.twitter.com/XPLQ7ls422
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 3, 2020
Liverpool take action
This delay, along with the potential cancellation of the final months of the season, meanwhile, are expected to have a lasting effect on the finances of clubs throughout Europe.
This has led the likes of Juventus, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to announce major wage-cuts to their respective first-team squads.
Atletico Madrid players confirm they will take a 70% salary cut to help protect the club’s 430 non-playing staff pic.twitter.com/o7Yv9saXP9
— brfootball (@brfootball) April 2, 2020
As things stand, however, while talks regarding potential 30% wage reductions are underway, no Premier League club has yet confirmed the implementation of pay-cuts to playing staff.
One course of action which has been taken in the English top-flight, though, has been the placement of non-playing staff on furlough.
As of yesterday, all of Newcastle United, Tottenham and Norwich City had announced their respective decisions to implement such measures.
And, as outlined above, the latest Premier League outfit to have followed suit have this afternoon been revealed.
The club come as the most high-profile to this point, in the form of European champions Liverpool.
As revealed by the reliable Paul Joyce, ‘some’ members of the Reds’ non-playing staff have been furloughed with immediate effect.
It is added that such staff will continue to be paid 100% of their salaries, however, 80% of these wages will now come courtesy of the government, rather than Liverpool themselves.
Liverpool has placed some staff who are impacted by the Premier League suspension on furlough. The club has confirmed those staff will be paid 100% of their salaries to ensure no member of staff is financially disadvantaged.
— paul joyce (@_pauljoyce) April 4, 2020
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