Wayne Rooney leads footballers' backlash against pay cut criticism

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 Wayne Rooney has said he is happy to donate money to the NHS, ‘as long as I knew where the money was going’. Photograph: Bradley Collyer/PA

Wayne Rooney has criticised the government and Premier League for putting Britain’s top-flight footballers in a “no-win situation” over the problem of pay cuts, with Gary Lineker and Gary Neville also speaking out.

Writing in the Sunday Times, Rooney claimed his fellow professionals were being lined up as “easy targets” in the wider response to the coronavirus crisis and branded government criticism of players “a disgrace”.

The Premier League’s proposed 30% wage cut or deferral strategy for players was discussed in a conference call with the Professional Footballers’ Association and the League Managers Association on Saturday. The players’ union later issued a statement suggesting such a move could result in a £200m tax deficit.

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The health secretary, Matt Hancock, led calls for Premier League footballers to accept pay cuts, insisting players should “play their part” by reducing their ­lucrative salaries. In response, Rooney said he is willing and able to make significant financial contributions but felt the public pressure being exerted on players was unhelpful.

“If the government approached me to help support nurses financially or buy ventilators I’d be proud to do so, as long as I knew where the money was going,” wrote Rooney. “I’m in a position where I could give something up. Not every footballer is in the same position.

“Yet suddenly the whole profession has been put on the spot with a demand for 30% pay cuts across the board,” the former England captain added. “Why are footballers suddenly the scapegoats? How the past few days have played out is a disgrace.

“He [Hancock] was supposed to be giving the nation the latest on the biggest crisis we’ve faced in our lifetimes. Why was the pay of footballers even in his head? Was he desperate to divert attention from his government’s handling of this pandemic?”

Edited April 9, 2020 by -Dark
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