Premier League players may take pay cut because of coronavirus crisis

Premier League clubs may follow the lead of their EFL counterparts by deferring some player wages during the coronavirus crisis.

Football across the UK has been shut down for the past fortnight and is not scheduled to return until the end of April at the earliest.

Even that date looks extremely unlikely, with the shutdown likely to remain in place for several weeks beyond that.

As a result, clubs are facing a financial crisis in the absence of vital matchday income.

The impact is more keenly felt in the lower leagues, where gate receipts make up a higher proportion of income, but Premier League clubs are likely to suffer too.

A report in the Mirror suggests that players in the top flight are expecting to take a pay cut to help clubs balance the books during the crisis.

A meeting has already taken place with the Premier League, EFL, FA and Professional Footballers’ Association about the issue.

Players at Championship sides Leeds and Birmingham have agreed to a wage deferral to ensure non-playing staff can continue to get paid.

The EFL has also released a £50m relief fund in an attempt to ease the financial burden on Football League clubs, though it is believed more is needed to prevent some sides from going out of business.

Everton meanwhile are among a host of clubs to commit to paying all casual matchday and non-matchday workers unable to work because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Casual matchday workers will also be paid for any rescheduled matches they work when the season gets underway.

The Toffees also launched their ‘Blue Family’ outreach scheme, which provides support and assistance to some of the most vulnerable, socially isolated and at-risk members of the community during the coronavirus outbreak.