EFL receives early £125 million boost

Following a meeting between the Premier League, EFL and Professional Footballers’ Association yesterday, the top flight unanimously decided to advance funds of £125 million to the EFL and National Leagues to help ease financial pressure on clubs suffering with the coronavirus pandemic.

The majority of the £125 million is made up of scheduled parachute payments to clubs previously relegated from the top flight being brought forward, but the Premier League has also agreed an emergency £20 million fund for the National Health Service.

The meeting follows a week of intense criticism from the government over footballers taking wage cuts, although multiple sources reported that Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was already in talks with other clubs regarding an NHS donation, previous to seeing their profession singled out.

Top flight players may ultimately be asked to take a 30% wage cut in order to help pay club staff and teams in trouble, but there has yet to be any final decision made, as anxiety grows over a lack of accountability from club owners.

The fear is that many of the Premier League’s top billionaire owners do not pay tax in the UK, and may keep deferred wages, whilst players themselves, the country’s biggest tax providers, will be paying less tax to the health service as a result of accepting a smaller salary.

The Premier League also acknowledged that football will not resume at the beginning of May, and reconfirmed that the 2019/20 season will only restart when it is safe and appropriate to do so, with the aim of completing this campaign whenever necessary.

The Premier League’s overriding priority is to aid the health and wellbeing of the nation and our communities. The 2019/20 season will only return when it is safe and appropriate to do so.

Full statement: https://t.co/Tv9Leq4GGp#WeAreOneTeam pic.twitter.com/XPLQ7ls422

— Premier League (@premierleague) April 3, 2020