Tottenham slashes pay of 550 non-playing staff
Tottenham has cut the pay of its 550 non-playing staff for April and May by 20 per cent because of the coronavirus pandemic, chairman Daniel Levy announced on Tuesday.
Spurs became the second Premier League team after Newcastle United to make use of the United Kingdom government's furlough scheme, which allows employees to claim 80 per cent of their wages up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.
Levy hoped players would follow suit, though Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) chief executive Gordon Taylor this week said he planned to block a blanket reduction on their salaries.
"The club's operations have effectively ceased, some of our fans will have lost their jobs and most will be worried about their future," Levy said in a letter published on Spurs' website.
"Our sponsors will be concerned about their businesses and our media partners have no certainty when we may play games again or whether we will be allowed to play in front of our fans. In the meantime, the club has an annual cost base running into hundreds of millions of pounds.
"We have seen some of the biggest clubs in the world such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus take steps to reduce their costs. Yesterday [Monday], having already taken steps to reduce costs, we ourselves made the difficult decision – in order to protect jobs – to reduce the remuneration of all 550 non-playing directors and employees for April and May by 20 per cent utilising, where appropriate, the government's furlough scheme. We shall continue to review this position.
"We hope the current discussions between the Premier League, PFA and LMA [League Managers Association] will result in players and coaches doing their bit for the football eco system.
"I have no doubt we will get through this crisis but life will take some time to get back to normal. I hope we will never take for granted so many basic things such as getting off the train at Seven Sisters, walking along Tottenham High Road, entering our stadium with our family and friends, and buying a beer and pie ahead of watching Spurs play at home.
"Many families will have lost loved ones, many businesses will have been destroyed, millions of jobs lost and many clubs whether big or small may struggle to exist. It is incumbent on me as chairman to ensure we do everything we can to protect our employees, our fans, our partners, our club for future generations – and equally important – our wider community where we have such an immense sense of responsibility.
"I wish everyone good health, a speedy return to normal life and watching Spurs at home in front of our fans. Stay safe."
Star striker Harry Kane at the weekend refused to rule out the possibility of leaving Tottenham if the team does not show signs of matching his ambition to win trophies.
The England captain has consequently been linked with a move to Premier League rivals Manchester City and Manchester United, as well as Real Madrid.
Levy believes people discussing such stories need to "wake up" to the enormity of the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on clubs.
He said: "As recently as 18 March I said: 'We shall all need to work together to ensure the impact of this crisis does not undermine the future stability of the club.'
"The decision by governments around the world to effectively close down economies with unheard of peacetime impacts on civil liberties in order to minimise the terrible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the right one to protect human lives.
"The crushing devastation on industries in many countries, the inter-dependence of international trade and travel in every aspect of our daily life is only now beginning to be felt. Every person on this planet will be affected and in my lifetime I cannot think of something so impactful.
"When I read or hear stories about player transfers this summer like nothing has happened, people need to wake up to the enormity of what is happening around us. With over 786,000 infected, nearly 38,000 deaths and large segments of the world in lockdown we need to realise that football cannot operate in a bubble.
"We may be the eighth largest club in the world by revenue according to the Deloitte survey but all that historical data is totally irrelevant as this virus has no boundaries."
