‘EPL players’ salaries should be reduced,’ said British health secretary

As a series of European football leagues have cut their players’ salaries, there is a growing pressure that the English Premier League (EPL) players’ salaries, which are the highest levels among all professional football leagues, should be reduced to share the burden of COVID-19.

"Given the sacrifices many people are making, the first thing EPL footballers can do is to take a pay cut and play their part,” British Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said on Friday at the daily government briefing on COVID-19, according to the BBC. Struggling clubs of the EPL are either letting go of relatively low-paid club staff or cutting their salaries.

FC Barcelona of the La Liga and Juventus F.C. of the Serie A have decided to cut players’ pay by 70 percent and 120 billion won, respectively. However, no football club of the EPL has made a similar decision.

The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), which represents the interests of the EPL players, announced that the players will share the financial burden as the sentiment that players force the sacrifice of non-playing staff has quickly spread. However, the BBC criticized the PFA for being passive and late in making such a decision.


Won-Hong Lee bluesky@donga.com