Former Reds slam Liverpool over decision to furlough non-playing staff
English Premier League giants Liverpool have come under fire by former Reds after they furloughed some of their non-playing staff due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The club said yesterday that they are holding talks about the prospect of salary deductions for players and senior staff.
Liverpool added on their website that the furloughed staff would continue to receive 100 per cent of their salaries.
Several English top-flight clubs, such as Tottenham Hotspur, Bournemouth and Newcastle United, have already put non-playing staff on furlough, with football's return in England contingent on medical guidance and government support, reported Reuters.
Furloughed British workers can claim 80 per cent of their wages, up to £2,500 (S$4,400), per month as part of the government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which means Liverpool will top up the remaining 20 per cent of salaries.
But this did not sit well with former Reds Jamie Carragher, Dietmar Hamann, Danny Murphy and Stan Collymore.
Former England striker Collymore was blunt, saying: "I don't know of any Liverpool fan of any standing that won't be anything other than disgusted at the club for furloughing staff. It's just plain f****** wrong."
Former Germany midfielder Hamann, meanwhile, said the move went against the ethos of his former club. He tweeted: "Astonished by the news that Liverpool took advantage of the furlough scheme to claim 80 per cent of non-playing staff's wages back off the government.
"That's not what the scheme was designed for. Contrary to the morals and values of the club I got to know."
Former England midfielder Murphy was more scathing, calling the move "grotesque".
He wrote in his Daily Mail column: "It is grotesque because it wasn't introduced for Premier League clubs who have more than enough money to look after their own.
"I'm particularly disappointed with the decision coming from Liverpool yesterday because it runs against the togetherness and unity the club has always been renowned for, particularly over the last 30 years since Hillsborough."
Ex-England defender Carragher, meanwhile, said it had undone the club's good work.
He tweeted: "Juergen Klopp showed compassion for all at the start of this pandemic, senior players heavily involved in... taking wage cuts. Then all that respect and goodwill is lost."
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