Levy – smug doesn’t start to cover it
Spurs have reversed their decision to furlough non-playing staff under a government scheme and acknowledged supporter pressure forced them to doso.d.
Spurs sparked outrage two weeks ago when they announced plans to seek funding from the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and furlough their non-playing staff.
While other Premier League clubs followed suit, pressure from supporters subsequently forced Liverpool to change their minds. Now Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy has been embarrassed into aborting his idea, with all 550 non-playing staff guaranteed full pay until the end of May.
In a statement released via their website, the club said: “We are acutely aware that many supporters were against the decision we made regarding furloughing staff… and our intention to apply, if applicable, for the CJRS. Indeed we have seen opposition from fans to fellow Premier League clubs accessing the CJRS too. This once again underlines that we bear different pressure to other businesses, many of whom have and will continue to apply for support from the scheme as the government intended.
“In view of supporter sentiment regarding the scheme, it is not our intention to make use of the current CJRS that runs until the end of May. We shall consult with stakeholders, including the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust [THST], with whom we have been in dialogue over the past week and who share our desire to protect jobs, should circumstances change going forward.”
Liverpool were forced into a similar U-turn after backlash their supporters.
Karren Brady rejected the idea of the furloughing West Ham non-playing staff and insisted they would carry on paying their 100% of wages.