UK's rich footballers unhappy about paycut

[Eldorado]

"The Professional Footballers' Association says proposals for a 30% pay cut for Premier League players would be "detrimental to our NHS".

"The PFA also called on the league to increase its own £20m charity pledge.

"The government has said it is "concerned" by what it called "infighting".

"The league wants players to take a 30% salary cut in order to protect jobs, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"But the union says that equates to more than £500m in wage reductions, and a loss in tax contributions of more than £200m to the UK government."

Full report at the BBC: Link

At Sky News: Link

[HandsomeGorilla]

[RoofGardener]

Oh NOES. 

Football has become .. well.. a political football  

[freetoroam]

Poor footballers.

Let me get out my violin 

[Duke Wellington]

4 hours ago, Eldorado said:

"The Professional Footballers' Association says proposals for a 30% pay cut for Premier League players would be "detrimental to our NHS".

"The PFA also called on the league to increase its own £20m charity pledge.

"The government has said it is "concerned" by what it called "infighting".

"The league wants players to take a 30% salary cut in order to protect jobs, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"But the union says that equates to more than £500m in wage reductions, and a loss in tax contributions of more than £200m to the UK government."

Full report at the BBC: Link

At Sky News: Link

I have nothing against people on mega salaries being furloughed on 80% of their wages just like everyone else. A 30% pay cut is 10% too far. I also think top bosses at our FTSE100 companies should only be taking the temporary 20% hit too.

I think its time to introduce a universal basic income set at a rate which is equal to the minimum wage for 37.5 hours per week. That means no pensions, no sick pay, no unemployment benefit, no income support, no incapacity benefit. Just a flat universal basic income rate for all. It would all the majority of the civil service to be disbanded.

There should be one safeguard to prevent exploitation. That is if people dont have a job for 3 months then the Jobcentre should give them work. Community Support Officers, street cleaners, national service, carers to help the elderly, etc.

The savings from vastly reducing the civil service can be redistributed into defence, police, and the NHS. It would also curb the obesity epidemic as no one is allowed to sit on their butts for more than 3 months. That will have longer term savings for the NHS.

[HandsomeGorilla]

45 minutes ago, freetoroam said:

Poor footballers.

Let me get out my violin 

A few years ago there was an article about (American) footballers claiming that weren't paid enough and that they needed a raise. I used this exact same picture in that thread 

Edited April 5, 2020 by Not Your Huckleberry

[Piney]

17 minutes ago, Not Your Huckleberry said:

A few years ago there was an article about (American) footballers claiming that weren't paid enough and that they needed a raise. I used this exact same picture in that thread 

I stopped watching baseball after the MLB pay strike. 

[A rather obscure Bassoon]

When i was a kid soccer players played a match mid-week as well as the weekend and on pitches that were swamps compared today, they played because they had passion and love for the game.

Today players are highly paid princesses who dive and fall all over the place the minute they are touched needless to say I don't watch soccer anymore.

 

[+OverSword]

3 hours ago, freetoroam said:

Poor footballers.

Let me get out my violin 

Should you take a 30% pay cut?

Edited April 5, 2020 by OverSword

[freetoroam]

2 minutes ago, OverSword said:

Should you take a pay cut?

I have. I got made redundant and the new job  I should have started on the 25th  March said they are not recruiting until further notice. 

Not best of times. So my sympathy for highly paid footballers is a big fat 0.

 

[HandsomeGorilla]

When we got knocked down to 32 hours, our director actually went to the financial directors and asked that he receive a 20% pay cut, as well. In fact, he wanted it not only done for himself, but only felt it fair that all managers and directors receive the same. Most are "working from home" and receiving a full paycheck. 

Sure enough, they cut all manager's salaries by 20%. A couple resigned, seeya! 

[XenoFish]

3 hours ago, A rather obscure Bassoon said:

Today players are highly paid princesses

I think the same can be said for all sports. 

[Setton]

8 hours ago, RabidMongoose said:

I have nothing against people on mega salaries being furloughed on 80% of their wages just like everyone else.

Excellent. 

Obviously, the system for everyone else is actually 80% of wages up to a maximum of £2500 a month (pre tax). I wholeheartedly support your suggestion to put Premier league footballers on 30k a year. 

Quote

I think its time to introduce a universal basic income set at a rate which is equal to the minimum wage for 37.5 hours per week. That means no pensions, no sick pay, no unemployment benefit, no income support, no incapacity benefit. Just a flat universal basic income rate for all. It would all the majority of the civil service to be disbanded.

There should be one safeguard to prevent exploitation. That is if people dont have a job for 3 months then the Jobcentre should give them work. Community Support Officers, street cleaners, national service, carers to help the elderly, etc.

The savings from vastly reducing the civil service can be redistributed into defence, police, and the NHS. It would also curb the obesity epidemic as no one is allowed to sit on their butts for more than 3 months. That will have longer term savings for the NHS.

I'm curious, in what world do you think those incapable or unwilling to work are a viable substitute for civil servants? 

Or do you actually think Community Support Officers, street cleaners, national service and carers are civil servants? 

[rashore]

I'm not a sports person.... but, isn't right now football season? So if the players aren't playing games, why shouldn't they be taking a pay cut? Their job is to play football, and right now they aren't doing their job. I think it's fair to still pay part of the salary- not their fault a plague is going on... but at the same time they aren't doing the service they are contracted to do.

[+joc]

8 hours ago, RabidMongoose said:

I think its time to introduce a universal basic income set at a rate which is equal to the minimum wage for 37.5 hours per week. That means no pensions, no sick pay, no unemployment benefit, no income support, no incapacity benefit. Just a flat universal basic income rate for all. It would all the majority of the civil service to be disbanded.

What are  you going to do to me if I refuse to work for that?

[LV-426]

3 hours ago, rashore said:

I'm not a sports person.... but, isn't right now football season? So if the players aren't playing games, why shouldn't they be taking a pay cut? Their job is to play football, and right now they aren't doing their job. I think it's fair to still pay part of the salary- not their fault a plague is going on... but at the same time they aren't doing the service they are contracted to do.

 

I mean... I'm not the socialist I was in my twenties, but some of these players are earning up to £350,000 per WEEK:

 

Manchester City F.C. 2019-20 Payroll

Kevin De Bruyne - £350,000

Raheem Sterling - £300,000

Sergio Aguero - £230,135

David Silva - £220,000

 

Meanwhile, some clubs are placing regular staff - who earn relatively normal wages - on temporary leave, and expecting the government to foot the bill for 80% of their wages.

There's nothing right about the amount of money top players get paid, and it's especially obscene when compared to NHS staff who are our frontline troops right now.

Technically, can you argue for adhering to contracts? Sure. Morally, not so much.

True football fans will remember though. When the clubs are in a post-virus nation, where people can't afford the costly monthly subscription services, such as Sky, that bankroll the clubs. When the clubs are struggling for sponsorship as many business will be bankrupt at worst, or tightening the purse strings at best. When gates are down as many will still be social distancing, regardless of lockdown measures. Fans will remember.

They'll also remember stories such as this:

 

Kyle Walker: Manchester City defender faces investigation over lockdown breach

"Kyle Walker faces disciplinary action from Manchester City after reportedly breaking lockdown rules by hosting a party involving two sex workers."

[thedutchiedutch]

I love soccer and I watch and follow the English Premier league  every weekend (except for now of course). I seriously cannot believe that some of these these young and rich spoiled dudes are unhappy about a pay cut of 30%. They are lucky and privileged to be able to earn massive amounts of money like that. I mean we are talking about people that earn about between the $ 250.000 and $ 500.000 a WEEK for crying out loud. If I lose my job and apply for unemployment I can get a maximum of $ 573 Canadian dollars a week.
So suck it up guys and be happy that you A, have a job and B, make the amounts you are making to begin with. 
.

 

[+OverSword]

11 hours ago, freetoroam said:

I have. I got made redundant and the new job  I should have started on the 25th  March said they are not recruiting until further notice. 

Not best of times. So my sympathy for highly paid footballers is a big fat 0.

 

Sorry to hear that. Still not a reason for multi billion pound sports franchises to screw the people that make them rich

[Duke Wellington]

7 hours ago, LV-426 said:

 

I mean... I'm not the socialist I was in my twenties, but some of these players are earning up to £350,000 per WEEK:

 

Manchester City F.C. 2019-20 Payroll

Kevin De Bruyne - £350,000

Raheem Sterling - £300,000

Sergio Aguero - £230,135

David Silva - £220,000

 

Meanwhile, some clubs are placing regular staff - who earn relatively normal wages - on temporary leave, and expecting the government to foot the bill for 80% of their wages.

There's nothing right about the amount of money top players get paid, and it's especially obscene when compared to NHS staff who are our frontline troops right now.

Technically, can you argue for adhering to contracts? Sure. Morally, not so much.

True football fans will remember though. When the clubs are in a post-virus nation, where people can't afford the costly monthly subscription services, such as Sky, that bankroll the clubs. When the clubs are struggling for sponsorship as many business will be bankrupt at worst, or tightening the purse strings at best. When gates are down as many will still be social distancing, regardless of lockdown measures. Fans will remember.

They'll also remember stories such as this:

 

Kyle Walker: Manchester City defender faces investigation over lockdown breach

"Kyle Walker faces disciplinary action from Manchester City after reportedly breaking lockdown rules by hosting a party involving two sex workers."

Someone earning £250,000 per week as a footballer is also paying a hell of a lot of income tax at the upper 45% rate. They should not be punished by having their furlough capped at £30,000 and they should receive the full 80% of their weekly wage.

People earning below £12,500 per annum here dont pay income tax. That footballer is already paying the tax for 50 people.

[toast]

Reminds me of a picture joke I saw some years ago. A CEO on stage in front of a bunch of some hundreds of blue collar workers: "Of course, I earn 1000 times more a year than everyone of you. But you have to understand, I also spend 1000 times more a year than everyone of you. Its a question of proportionality, simply just that and there is nothing unjust with it."

[+OverSword]

17 hours ago, rashore said:

So if the players aren't playing games, why shouldn't they be taking a pay cut?

Because they are under contracts that specify what their salaries are.  In some players contracts they may get less when not playing and in others they may have a guaranteed amount regardless.  The organizations and league for which they work are multi-billion pound companies who I have less sympathy for than I do for the players and do not blame them for demanding their contracted amounts.  As for people that are fine with them taking a larger percentage cut than people with more standard jobs just because they are paid well I think you're being unfair.  The average length of a footballers career is 8 years and once that's over they are probably qualified to flip burgers and this pandemic has robbed them of a year of those careers which is quite precious time for them I'm sure.  

[+OverSword]

6 hours ago, toast said:

Reminds me of a picture joke I saw some years ago. A CEO on stage in front of a bunch of some hundreds of blue collar workers: "Of course, I earn 1000 times more a year than everyone of you. But you have to understand, I also spend 1000 times more a year than everyone of you. Its a question of proportionality, simply just that and there is nothing unjust with it."

Not comparable since these players are not the CEO, in your scenario they are the blue collar workers. 

Edit to add that as stated above they get paid well but have very short careers.

Edited April 6, 2020 by OverSword

[toast]

49 minutes ago, OverSword said:

Not comparable since these players are not the CEO, in your scenario they are the blue collar workers.

So what?

Quote

Edit to add that as stated above they get paid well but have very short careers.

I`m crying and will start a GoFundMe this evening.

[Setton]

56 minutes ago, OverSword said:

Because they are under contracts that specify what their salaries are.

So is everyone else who's furloughed.

Those who are furloughed are so because their employer has no work for them. 

These clubs have no work for their players. 

Therefore, clubs should furlough them rather than putting the cost on low paid staff who could still be productive. 

Edited April 6, 2020 by Setton

[Setton]

53 minutes ago, OverSword said:

Not comparable since these players are not the CEO, in your scenario they are the blue collar workers. 

Edit to add that as stated above they get paid well but have very short careers.

Yeah, after they retire from football, none of them make a penny. 

Except advertising, sponsorship, coaching, managing and so on and on...