Liverpool Reverse Furlough Decision Following Backlash
Jamie Carragher was among those to criticise Liverpool for furloughing staff, and the club has now reversed that decision.
Liverpool have made a U-turn on their decision to furlough a number of non-playing staff impacted by the Premier League's suspension following a backlash, CEO Peter Moore has confirmed.
The Reds announced of Friday they were following the likes of Tottenham and Newcastle United in taking advantage of the United Kingdom government's job retention scheme, meaning 80 per cent of some staff wages would be paid by the state.
But that move was widely slammed given the club had less than six weeks previously announced £42million pre-tax profits, with former Liverpool players Jamie Carragher, Danny Murphy and Dietmar Hamann among those to publicly lambast the decision.
Following the criticism, Liverpool have opted to seek alternative arrangements.
In a club statement, Moore apologized for the distress the original decision caused: "We believe we came to the wrong conclusion last week to announce that we intended to apply to the Coronavirus Retention Scheme and furlough staff due to the suspension of the Premier League football calendar, and are truly sorry for that.
"Our intentions were, and still are, to ensure the entire workforce is given as much protection as possible from redundancy and/or loss of earnings during this unprecedented period.
"We are therefore committed to finding alternative ways to operate while there are no football matches being played that ensures we are not applying for the government relief scheme.
"We would like to acknowledge the great army of staff and casual workers who work tirelessly to ensure Liverpool is a club that operates to the highest of standards.
"But in the spirit of transparency we must also be clear, despite the fact we were in a healthy position prior to this crisis, our revenues have been shut off yet our outgoings remain. And like almost every sector of society, there is great uncertainty and concern over our present and future."