Premier League players believe they’re receiving the blame for their employers’ bad decisions, as the focus remains on their wages whilst club owners cut staff salaries.

The Athletic write that players are annoyed by the suggestion by leading politicians that they’re ‘greedy and out of touch’ for not giving up their wages. After all, it’s their employers cutting non-playing staff wages.

The players believe the very public attacks on them are a distraction technique. Rather than focusing on billionaire club owners or rich politicians themselves, it’s easy to blame the footballers.

Many players are trying to organise coronavirus funds or wage-deferral schemes to keep non-playing staff employed. Yet it’s the likes of Daniel Levy making the decision to furlough staff, but escaping the blame.

Ideally, the players would collect their wages as usual, paid out of billionaire owner pockets if needs be. They’d then pay all their usual taxes at the highest rate, before making additional contributions to charity.

That’s what we should be pushing for, not players giving up their wages and the money just staying in the owners’ bank accounts.