According to Sportsmail, the decision of Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy to furlough 550 non-playing staff has increased the players’ resistance to taking pay-cuts.
Spurs joined Norwich City, Newcastle United and Bournemouth in furloughing staff onto the Government’s job retention scheme due to the financial hardship the coronavirus pandemic has caused, and apart from the backlash the club are receiving from the fans and the football community, the senior players are angry as they feel Levy wants to pressure them into taking cuts through the move.
Tottenham are the only English top-flight side using the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and not topping up the salaries of furloughed staff beyond the £2,500 a month paid by the Government, and that has further incensed the players.
Liverpool announced they would furlough non-playing staff on Saturday but has since reversed the decision following huge backlash from their fan base.
The other three clubs have guaranteed their staff that they will get their full pay while they remain on the retention scheme, but Spurs have remained adamant with their initial decisions, and that has said to have increased tension between some players and Levy.
Spurs landed £94 million for reaching the Champions League final last season, and Levy pocketed a £3 million bonus aside his £4 million salary.
There is no denying that the North London club have enough to pay their staff during this crisis, and while players taking pay-cut will help them a lot, the chairman isn’t helping matters.
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