The wealthiest league in the world’s richest sport began to tighten its belt on Wednesday, with players from the English Premier League reconciling themselves to reduced salaries while the Covid-19 crisis continues to close down professional football.
England’s top-flight clubs are seeking an across-the-board, collective agreement that will substantially ease their wage bills.
The Premier League, where the last round of fixtures were played over March 7 and 8, boasts the highest broadcast revenues of any domestic competition and while that income remains - it would be threatened if the current season were not to finish - most club finances are relatively sturdy.
But with the most successful clubs across Europe already imposing or negotiating substantial player salary cuts or deferrals, English football is under pressure to follow suit, with club chairmen and CEOs hopeful of agreeing a plan with the players' union as early as the end of this week.
Signs that even the Premier League is feeling the pinch will resonate across the world game.
The wealth of leading English clubs has made them great importers of talent from abroad, and, as the game in continental Europe faces up to long-term cost-cutting as a result of the Covid-19 closedown, English football’s market would be the first-choice destination for outgoing transfers of footballers with the kinds of price-tag that could alleviate debts or of players with salaries that are too high to maintain.
But as one Premier League chairman, Brighton’s Paul Barber, warned: “People think the football industry, and particularly the Premier League has got a lot of cash.
"In many cases, it’s a bit of a myth,” Barber told the BBC.
Tottenham Hotspur chairman, Daniel Levy, who this year oversaw Spurs’ leap from 10th to 8th place in the respected Deloitte ranking of the game’s biggest earning clubs by revenue, said he expects “players and coaches to [do] their bit for the football ecosystem”.
He effectively presented Tottenham’s players, who in the last year were paid a combined £179 million (Dh814m), with a close-up example of that ecosystem.
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Barcelona, Juventus and other major clubs introducing wage cuts
Levy announced that all Spurs' non-playing employees, who make up a staff of more than 500, would see their salaries cut by 20 per cent this month. The caterers, security guards and cleaners whom Spurs players meet on daily basis will be one fifth poorer; the high-earning footballers are expected to recognise that and make similar sacrifices.
Levy also cited the precedents from major European leagues. “We have seen some of the biggest clubs in the world, such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus take steps to reduce their costs,” said the Spurs chairman.
Barcelona players will, for the remainder of the shutdown, earn only 28 per cent of their basic salaries after agreeing on a plan that captain Lionel Messi described as "a solution to truly help the club".
Barcelona, No 1 in Deloitte’s latest revenue ranking, had previously indicated they were ready to trigger a device, an ERTE, which under Spanish law allows companies to reduce salaries by up to 70 per cent in exceptional economic circumstances, as a temporary protection against possible collapse.
Messi and the players accepted a 70 per cent cut, and also ceded a further two per cent of their salaries, at their own initiative, to ensure that non-playing staff at the club would continue to be paid 100 per cent of their wages.
Bayern, meanwhile, agreed a 20 per cent cut across their first-team squad and Juventus have settled on a plan with their players that will save the club an estimated 30 percent of their wage bill.
The agreement covers March, April, May and June salaries, if necessary, an indication that in southern Europe, where the rate of coronavirus contagion is highest and the restrictions on people's movement the most rigid, a far longer delay to the possible resumption of the season than originally forecast is expected.
Uefa, European football’s governing body, held a conference-call meeting with representatives of its 55 countries yesterday, and outlined possible schedules, prioritising the completion of domestic championships even if that means matches being played behind closed doors and beyond the end of June.
That date is crucial to the financial structure of the sport. Player contracts which expire at the end of the season will almost all do so on June 30. Players' unions are being urged to have their members agree unilateral extensions if the 2019-20 season extends beyond that date.
As for the next window for the transfer market, that will almost certainly be postponed if the club season is still going on into July.
Quite what trading in that market will look like is uncertain, but the sorts of sums involved in transfer fees, and the average salaries offered to new signings, will be lower than usual.
The football ecosystem, as Spurs’s Levy called it, does not bounce back easily from a period of unscheduled inactivity.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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Match info
Premier League
Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
Arsenal 2 (Mustafi 26', Rojo 68' OG)
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Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Racecard
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
9.30pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Results
6.30pm Madjani Stakes Rated Conditions (PA) I Dh160,000 I 1,900m I Winner: Mawahib, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm Maiden Dh150,000 I 1,400m I Winner One Season, Antonio Fresu, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Maiden Dh150,000 I 2,000m I Winner Street Of Dreams, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8.15pm Dubai Creek Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,600m I Winner Heavy Metal, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.50pm The Entisar Listed I Dh250,000 I 2,000m I Winner Etijaah, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
9.25pm The Garhoud Listed I Dh250,000 I 1,200m I Winner Muarrab, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
10pm Handicap I Dh160,000 I 1,600m I Winner Sea Skimmer, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Result
UAE (S. Tagliabue 90 1') 1-2 Uzbekistan (Shokhruz Norkhonov 48', 86')
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
