Should Owners Tell Players To Take A Wage Cut? by Dan Smith
It’s funny how the Premier League are talking like owing 762 million to broadcasters is the players’ problem.
I believe most people in life are decent people. Given the money they earn I think most footballers would volunteer to take a pay cut (if nothing else because it looks bad on their Image not too). Yet there’s a difference between asking to borrow cash compared to expecting it.
It should be stressed several in the game are helping in their own way, but given how much their employers take from the sport, any contribution should be volunteered not insisted upon.
762 million divided by our 20 clubs is 38.1 million each (or in other words, Ozil’s wages for two years). A scary amount of money to your everyday man or woman but easy for any Premier League side to get their hands on. Check the revenue of all sides in the topflight, trust me they can find that money.
Of course the simple way is slashing the wage bill. Whether it’s a Pogba, Ozil or Aguero, etc, no one is arguing that players can’t cope with a reduction. Yet doesn’t that seem so easy?
Stan Kroenke, worth billions, lays round his swimming pool counting his wealth while he cuts every corner apart from his own bank account. I bet he hasn’t even picked up the phone to check on any of his employees. Instead he will pay over the odds for someone else to fix this. Neither party, by the way, will be included in losing money.
How much is Silent Stan giving from his own pocket? It is not just because he’s rich that he should be expected to help. Yet that’s the principle he seems to have regarding his players, despite being richer than them. It’s not like this money is going to the NHS (who we are helping), it’s to ensure clubs don’t lose money. Because we all know, a club can’t lose 38. 1 million?
That would mean for one summer clubs can’t pay 80 million on transfers or 200,000 a week to our new arrivals.
Don’t get me wrong, no businessman or woman just lets themselves lose money, but like the rest of the world they have to accept momentary loss and they shouldn’t try and break even. Maybe they shouldn’t worry about that while the death total rises?
If it’s okay to expect Ozil to give up thousands why can’t a Billionaire write off millions? When he heard what Sky, BT, etc want back, the Kroenke family will simply think about their incomings and outgoings. What about their fans?
Will they think about people who have been out of work when they charge you 60 pounds for the next Arsenal shirt? Will they worry how everyone can pay the same price for their tickets? Will the Kroenke family question how that makes sense?
As Danny Rose said, players are happy to help but feel like ‘their backs are against the wall’. Why would players be left out of these conversations? Why the assumption from owners, like they know the answer? It’s a clever ploy but very cold, very tacky.
The public have long been outraged how much footballers make. So clubs, very conveniently leak the news of the 30 percent idea. If an Ozil dare say no, he’s aware of what Joe Public will say.
At least Arsenal have been PR savvy not to ask for a government scheme to look after their non-playing staff, something Daniel Levy failed to do when he announced on the same day his wages were 7 million a year. Even the Kroenke family were media smart enough to know they had to bite their tongue and pay their staff without help. That would be going too far.
The Kroenke family can live off the 8 or 12 billion dollars they already have in the bank. So the money they give they will make back very quickly.
What if the season is then finished and TV companies are obliged to take back the debt, do players get their money back? Or are they then paying for lost match day revenue?
Just remember one day football will return. It will still get its sponsorship, they will still sell merchandise, the TV contract will still be huge. Us fans? The mugs who find money we haven’t got to carry on supporting Arsenal. Who sacrifice other things. We Rob Peter to Pay Paul. All to pay for our love and our passion.
If ever there was a time for Stan to give something back, it’s now.
Dan Smith
I read a very interesting point this morning regarding players reducing their salaries by 30% that brings the issue into question.
If the players of ALL professional Football Clubs had their pay reduced by ANY amount, this immediately reduces the amount of income tax and NI contributions that they are deducted, so therefore immediately reducing the Government of vitally required revenue.
Therefore, it should be the Players themselves to agree to the payments from their own NETT Pay, which will then make a difference. And as the owner of the Club, Kronke should be leading by example and be the first to commit to this.
He might have done this in the USA, but this is the UK and his investment is here. It’s not just the players who should be called out over this, but all owners and board members as well.
You can be sure if David Dein was still at this Club, he would have taken complete control of this situation and would have had everyone from the Board to the Players in total agreement on how to best serve the Football Club and the Country in this period of total uncertainty.
Why was this man ever allowed to leave this Football Club?
Some sage comments Phil and on DD, what a catastrophic mistake and blackest of black days the club made when they forced out our best and most effective director since Sir Henry Norris, who as YOU will well know was actually our owner.
I am sure that huge monetary changes are going to be forced on all in football simply by the law of economics, when it properly dawns on more folk than at present that the world economy is, as we speak, taking a massive and very long lasting downturn. To think – as some on here seem to do, notably Patrick, who writes so many articles – that life will go on exactly as before is naive and rather irritating.
On Kroenke, I am hopeful that, down track a bit, his personal fortune will be much reduced. He has most of it invested in USA sports franchises and as that country will be and is already, worse affected by Corona than others, (directly because of the inactions of the imbecile running that country) he MAY, just MAY , be forced into a sale of Arsenal.
On Kroenke voluntarily making himself less filthy rich by making any altruistic actions, I see myself as more likely to win the National Lottery and I DON’T EVEN BUY RICKETS!
Your shrewd observation that, say, a 30% cut in players gross salary, compared to nett salary, makes a huge difference to the amount players take home, as over 45% of gross salary will never reach the players anyway, because of income tax and other stoppages.
When the Prem finally resumes, IMO in year 2021, the football world will look very different from now, in so many ways. Until a vaccine is found and widely used, I see no real way out of this crisis and no more pro sport at all
I thought David Dein was part of the glue at Arsenal. So sorry he has gone
Three good posts proceed me. The day David Dein left the club was the day “The Arsenal Way” ended
The players are helping with the taxes they have been paying since there arrival in this country . As most people point out they earn in a week what some earn in a lifetime so they pay more tax a week then the average person does in a lifetime .
It doesn’t stop them showing a generous spirit when all around the country the ordinary citizen is volunteering to help in our hour of need
Funny Dan, how you seem to know exactly what Kroenke is doing🤔
Not sure that this is fair comment. Dan was surely writing figuratively about Kroenke laying about his swimming pool counting his wealth and so on. I thought Dan was posing pertinent questions on the substance of his posts rather than giving specific answers, overall. Just my take though.
I know he’s on!y only not to ever put his own money into the club
But your right I can’t prove he hasn’t given 38 million out of his money , you can’t prove Ozil doesn’t give all his wages to charity ?
That means though even more we shouldn’t expect players to pay should we ?
Premiere Leauge had meeting with 20 clubs , why I wonder do they need players help if owners are putting hands in pocket which you suggest could be case ?
What about the CEO of the banks, building industries, all the private sector, don’t see any of them giving up their wage, what about the House of Lords, the MP’s who have second jobs, all the corrupt billionaire and business owners profiting from the situation, yet footballers are easy targets, is Gary Mouth on a stick Linaker taking a wage reduction , I doubt, license BBC holders are still paying out for his wages, the rubbish he is presenting on BBC 1 is a joke, it is worthless
I suppose that most of the very wealthy people you mention have got to the top after years of work, possibly study and have been able through their ability to build businesses and then employ lots and lots of people Frequently the hugely wealthy are philanthropic
Football players are employees and are good at playing ..football! One tw*t from City has just had a telling off for breaking government guidelines by entertaining escorts … so yes,you are right football players are easy targets
Gary Lineker has donated a fair chunk of his salary to Red Cross or similar so you can give him a break
I don’t like Stan Kronke but that doesn’t stop me for reasoning well.
If you ask him to donate a chunk amount of money from his businesses all around US and UK, do you know how much you’re asking of him to do?
Actually we don’t know how much he might have contributed in US but how sure are we that, he haven’t take any money from Arsenal and ask Arsenal to use any money meant for him for his own corona contribution?
You don’t need to jump to any conclusions if you don’t know this.
And as for the footballers, I think it only happens because they are trying to avoid furlough things. Me thinks.
How much will it cost him ?
Arsenal would owe 38.2 million
He’s worth 8.8 billion
His duty to solve problems as owner ,
Not down to his players
Once you sell auba take money out of that ?
Mr Dan S you really touched the right buttorn at the right time, I salute you for that. for stan he only want to pocket money, Not spending first thats out of his plan. Since he took over at ARSENAL how much did he put in the transfer?
Kronke worked hard to make his billions, its not like he made billions from Arsenal. Arsenal has an expensive squad, but they cant even beat Sheffield. A team that is coming from championship division. Kronke should give them 50% of their salary. Thats total mediocrity from Arsenal players
This is a global crisis, neither Kronke nor players created this. Kronke has always paid them full wages as per agreement, but the players raised the middle finger to him. They are struggling to qualifying for Europa league. The players cannot justify their huge wages in the field of play. Kronke and Arsenal players should meet each other half way
Players must of course cut their fees down, the world is at home confined, no incomes, governments are helping; up to $1500 in France even if you made $5000 per month.
These lazy high maintenance queens should be talking about donating half or full wages to help these doctors nurses etc… Same goes for Kroenke!
Shameful issue! They not even embarrassed!