Friday 3 April 2020 13:18, UK
Tottenham fans want the club's players to take a pay cut and are demanding answers as to why non-playing staff are bearing the brunt of the financial impact of coronavirus.
The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust (THST) say fans are angry that 550 non-playing staff members, some of whom have been furloughed, have been forced into a 20 per cent wage cut yet the players' salaries remain untouched.
Chairman Daniel Levy is among those to have taken the salary cut but the Trust is urging the players and directors to make a further voluntary contribution "so that the most vulnerable do not bear too great a burden".
"We have strongly recommended that the club explains the detail and nuance to supporters with far more clarity than it has currently, and we hope it will take that advice," a statement said.
"What has most angered fans, who care that their club does the right thing, is that an organisation that is perceived to be very wealthy is cutting staff pay and asking for government help while the most well-remunerated individuals under its umbrella maintain their earnings.
"This anger is not exclusive to the Spurs community, but the club's reputation as a wealthy and well-run business means it is in the spotlight.
"We are aware that no football club can impose contract changes on its playing or coaching staff without agreement with the respective unions, the PFA and LMA. So the comment that THFC has chosen to cut non-playing staff wages while choosing not to cut playing staff wages is inaccurate.
"But there is nothing to stop the club's players making a voluntary contribution to ensure that the most vulnerable do not bear too great a burden. And there is nothing to stop the club's directors, including the chairman, making a further personal contribution on top of their 20 per cent wage cuts; points we have made directly to the club board and will continue to do so. We have made it clear that this is a course of action fans would overwhelmingly support."
The anger comes after chairman Levy announced the measures alongside Spurs' financial results for the 2018-19 season in which he was paid a £3m bonus on top of his £4m salary.
In a season in which they finished fourth in the Premier League and reached the Champions League final, Tottenham posted a pre-tax profit of £87m, as revenue rose £80m to a club-record £461m.
Tottenham have told Sky Sports News: "We shall continue to work with the Trust in the interests of the club."
