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