Liverpool on Monday scrapped their controversial decision to furlough non-playing staff during the coronavirus pandemic after the Premier L...
Liverpool on Monday scrapped their controversial decision to furlough non-playing staff during the coronavirus pandemic after the Premier League leaders apologised for coming to the “wrong conclusion”.
The Reds, the world’s seventh-richest football club, were widely criticised after announcing at the weekend that they planned to put around 200 staff on enforced leave during the pandemic while the British government pays 80 percent of their wages.
With the Premier League postponed because of the virus, Liverpool’s US-based Fenway Sports Group owners came under fire for exploiting the furlough scheme to save money at the same time as they continue to pay huge salaries to star players like Mohamed Salah.
Fellow top-flight teams Tottenham, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Norwich have already furloughed staff, but it was Liverpool – who made pre-tax profits of £42 million for the 2018-19 season – that came in for the most criticism, in part due to their reputation as a club with a strong bond to the working-class community on Merseyside.
As the opprobrium mounted from the club’s supporters and former players, Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore, writing in an open letter to supporters on Monday, revealed that they have changed their mind.
“We have consulted with a range of key stakeholders as part of a process...
