Coronavirus: Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho forced into apology after breaking social-distancing rules
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho says he ‘accepts my actions were not in line with government protocol’ after being spotted flouting the UK’s coronavirus social-distancing guidelines.
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Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has apologised after being spotted taking a training session with three first-team players, breaking social-distancing rules during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Portuguese was pictured working with Tanguy Ndombele, Davinson Sanchez and Ryan Sessegnon in a London park.
“I accept that my actions were not in line with government protocol and we must only have contact with members of our own household,” Mourinho said in a statement cited by UK newspapers.
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“It is vital we all play our part and follow government advice in order to support our heroes in the NHS and save lives.”
Tottenham had earlier reminded all its players to respect social-distancing rules.
“All of our players have been reminded to respect social distancing when exercising outdoors,” the club said.
“We shall continue to reinforce this message.”
All football has been suspended in the UK until at least May.
‘If we don’t win it this year, I will accept’
Meanwhile, Sadio Mane says he would understand if Liverpool were denied the Premier League title even though they were on the brink of glory when coronavirus forced a shutdown.
Jurgen Klopp’s men were 25 points clear of Manchester City when football came to a halt last month, agonisingly close to their first top-flight triumph in 30 years.
But it is unclear when, or even if, the season will be completed.
Asked if he feels like a champion, the 27-year-old Senegal forward said that he wanted to win the Premier League on the pitch.
“I want to win the games and I want to get the trophy, it’s what I would love,” he said.
“But with this situation, whatever happens I will understand.
“It has been difficult for Liverpool, but it has been more difficult for many millions of people around the world.
“Some people have lost family members and that is the more complicated situation. But for myself, it’s my dream and I want to win it this year.
“If that’s not the case, I will accept, it’s part of life. Hopefully we will win it next year.”
EPL players accept wage cuts
The head of the union representing Premier League players says they have “agreed to play their part” during the coronavirus pandemic as pressure mounts to find a collective pay deal.
England’s top-flight stars have come under fire over their lack of action, which contrasts sharply with significant pay cuts taken by players at other leading European clubs such as Barcelona and Juventus.
The Premier League has urged players to accept wage cuts of 30 per cent but ongoing talks have hit a stumbling block, with the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) warning that Britain’s National Health Service could suffer from the loss of tax receipts as a result of players taking pay cuts.
FIFA has urged players and clubs to reach agreement over wage reductions and players are reportedly set to start negotiations on a club-by-club basis.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock was among senior politicians calling for players to take a cut and “play their part”, a call that sparked off angry reactions from players.
A poll conducted by polling company YouGov last week found 92 percent of respondents said they backed a pay cut.
PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor said that the players had “all agreed to play their part”, adding they were “responsible enough” to know wages were a factor in any club’s expenditure.
“We’ve been consistent with what we’ve said from the beginning and the fact is the players feel quite aggrieved that the Secretary of State for Health should put them in a corner without looking,” he said.
“They’re not self-employed, they make massive contributions to the Treasury and they’ve also quite logically felt that if they don’t get that money, if a third is deferred or a third is cut, then the Treasury is £200 million ($400 million) a year worse off and that could be going towards the National Health (Service) and will be needed.”
Taylor, 75, is reportedly not taking a cut to his own $4 million annual salary.
“The PFA will make donations and the PFA is involved in the players’ charity,” Taylor told the Guardian when asked directly if he would accept a reduction in salary.
Reds back down on pay cuts after fierce criticism
Liverpool have reversed their decision to furlough some of their non-playing staff and apologised to fans, and now the pressure is on Tottenham Hotspur to do so.
The Reds said over the weekend they had furloughed some of their non-playing staff due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were holding talks about the prospect of salary deductions for players and senior staff.
The decision was made after the Premier League was suspended last month and, with no clear date for when it can resume, the club said they intended to apply to the British government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to reclaim a percentage of the wages.
“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,” chairman Peter Moore said to fans.
“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.” After the Reds’ reversal, the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust once again urged their club to follow suit and overturn their decision to furlough some non-playing staff.
A brief statement on Twitter read: “We have been saying consistently @SpursOfficial - pause and rethink. We are now saying it clearly and in public - do not further damage the Club’s reputation, listen to your fans.”
Newcastle, Norwich and Bournemouth are the other Premier League clubs to announce plans to use the Government’s furlough scheme.
Premier League players and managers have been criticised for not taking pay cuts during the league’s suspension while the clubs’ staff, who earn a fraction of their wages, are furloughed.
The players’ union, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), has yet to agree to a cut and argued after a meeting with the Premier League on Saturday that reduced wages would lower tax revenue for the National Health Service.
Why are footballers suddenly the scapegoats?
Wayne Rooney has criticised the UK government and the Premier League for placing footballers in a “no-win situation” over proposed pay cuts after players were urged to make sacrifices during the coronavirus crisis.
The former England captain, now playing with Championship side Derby, penned an impassioned column in the Sunday Times newspaper saying his fellow professionals were “easy targets” in the wider response to the pandemic.
It came after the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) said a proposed 30 per cent pay cut could hurt Britain’s state-run National Health Service (NHS) because it would hit tax receipts.
Rooney said he had both the means and the will to make financial contributions, either in the form of salary reductions or direct donations to the NHS, but felt the public pressure being exerted on players was unhelpful.
The Premier League’s suggested strategy involving a combination of pay cuts and deferrals amounting to 30 per cent of wages, was discussed in a conference call with players’ and managers’ representatives over the weekend.
Initial talks were already taking place before key political figures, including Health Secretary Matt Hancock, called for action.
“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 place 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 per cent pay cuts across the board. Why are footballers suddenly the scapegoats?
“How the past few days have played out is a disgrace.”
The Premier League has been seen as lagging behind other European leagues in its response to coronavirus and was accused by one British lawmaker of operating in a “moral vacuum”.
But Rooney questioned the wisdom of the Premier League in preempting behind-the-scenes talks involving players with its own proposals for sweeping reductions.
“In my opinion it is now a no-win situation,” he said.
“Whatever way you look at it, we’re easy targets.”
He said the Premier League’s contribution of $40 million to the NHS was “a drop in the ocean” compared with the amount clubs would save with wage cuts.
And he questioned why stars from other sports were not the focus of similar attention.
The PFA said its members wanted to play their part but warned that a proposed 30 per cent salary reduction would cost the country $400 million in lost tax receipts.
England manager Gareth Southgate has reportedly taken a 30 per cent pay cut, although the Football Association is yet to confirm the move.
A handful of top-flight clubs, including last year’s Champions League finalists Liverpool and Tottenham, have opted to furlough non-playing staff using the safety net of the government’s job retention scheme.
Former Liverpool players including Jamie Carragher strongly criticised the move by the European champions, who in February announced pre-tax profits of $90 million for 2018/19.