Coronavirus: Liverpool club puts part of its employees into partial unemployment

Text by: Hugo Moissonnier

The economic consequences of the spread of Covid-19 are also being felt in the sports world. Even the prestigious English Premier League and its very rich clubs are not spared. Liverpool, leader of the championship before its suspension, is currently at the heart of a controversy. Some of its employees have been placed on partial unemployment, but the players are not affected, they who have still not lowered their wages.

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" It's low!" " Annoyed, iconic former defender Jamie Carragher reacted on Twitter. Same story for Stan Collymore, striker of the 1990s: " I do not know any Liverpool supporter who is not disgusted ".

These former Reds do not accept the decision to allow some of the non-playing employees of the Mersey club to benefit from a program of the British government. The latter supports 80% of income up to 2,500 pounds per month. Liverpool add the remaining 20%.

Liverpool which also adds in a statement that " employees will be paid 100% to ensure that no member of staff is financially disadvantaged ".

But seeing the reigning European champion resort to short-time working a few weeks after announcing huge profits, £ 42 million before tax, is a task.

Especially since the stars, Mané, Salah, Van Dijk and the others, have still not found an agreement to lower their fees, even if the process is underway.

Elsewhere in Europe, the efforts of Messi and Ronaldo are welcomed, while on the side of the wealthy English Premier League it is slow to take the measure of the health crisis, some observers believe.

On Thursday, the British government called on the championship players to forgo part of their wages.

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• United Kingdom
• Soccer
• Coronavirus