Coronavirus: Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe takes pay cut as Premier League feels heat
As some Premier League clubs are accused of living in a ‘moral vacuum’ and not taking their share of the financial hit due to coronavirus, Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe is doing his bit to help.
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Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has become the first English Premier League boss to take a voluntary pay cut during the coronavirus pandemic.
It comes as top-flight clubs have been accused of living in a “moral vacuum”, with players urged to take their share of the financial hit from the coronavirus pandemic as non-playing staff begin to feel the pinch.
The EPL season has been suspended until at least April 30 due to the pandemic and clubs across the country have been hit by significant losses in match-day revenue.
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Newcastle United put non-playing staff on leave and instructed employees to apply for the government’s newly-created coronavirus job retention scheme and Bournemouth said they had to take similar drastic measures to protect the club’s future.
The club said chief executive Neill Blake, first team technical director Richard Hughes, Howe and assistant Jason Tindall have “all taken significant, voluntary pay cuts for the entirety of this uncertain time”.
Bournemouth have also followed in the footsteps of other Premier League clubs Tottenham and Norwich by using the British government’s furlough scheme, which will guarantee 80 per cent of employees’ income up to around $4000.
“It sticks in the throat,” said lawmaker Julian Knight, who chairs the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, referring to the use of public funds to prop up wage bills.
“This exposes the crazy economics in English football and the moral vacuum at its centre.”
That $4000 sum would be a drop in the ocean for many Premier League stars, yet there has so far been no agreement on wage cuts or deferrals for players, unlike the situation at other top European clubs such as Juventus and Barcelona.
Meanwhile, UEFA has postponed all international matches set to be played in June with other competitions such as the Champions League also on hold because of the coronavirus crisis.
“All national team matches for men and women due to be played in June 2020 are postponed until further notice. This includes the play-off matches for Euro 2020 and qualifying matches for the women’s Euro 2021,” a statement said.
“All other UEFA competition matches, including the centralised international friendly matches, remain postponed until further notice.”
The news came after the 55 member associations of UEFA discussed future fixtures during a videoconference and the body’s executive committee also convened.
All UEFA matches at club level are suspended indefinitely at present.
The Champions League and Europa League are at the last 16 stage and the reports said the plan was to restart the competitions in July, allowing domestic leagues to get going again first in June.