TalkSPORT’s Georgie Bingham has called for football clubs using the government’s furlough scheme to be banned from transfers, the host gave her thoughts on the subject on the Weekend Sports Breakfast show.
Liverpool are the latest Premier League club to take this measure, with the club announcing in an official statement on Saturday that some of their staff affected by the Premier League’s suspension would be placed on furlough.
Furlough is the government’s job retention scheme that guarantees that employees whose work has been affected by the Coronavirus are still paid 80% of their wages – up to £2,500 a month.
Newcastle were the first top-flight club to make use of the scheme, with Tottenham, Bournemouth, Norwich and now Liverpool joining them.
Liverpool, being the biggest club to take this action, have faced mass criticism over the last couple of days for their decision.
Bingham believes that all clubs taking this measure ‘shouldn’t be allowed to have transfers’, adding that if these clubs need the government’s financial support they clearly ‘don’t need’ a transfer window.
Take a look at what Bingham had to say on the matter below:
“If a club goes to the government for a handout that the taxpayers will have to pay…”
“They shouldn’t be able to do transfers. No transfer window for you!”
“Not a single club would do it if they couldn’t do business."@GeorgieBingham’s plan to stop clubs furloughing pic.twitter.com/RvCCVMA1Uo
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) April 5, 2020
Transcript, quotes obtained from TalkSPORT:
“Let’s not mince our words on this,”
“If a club goes to the government for a handout that us, the taxpayers, will be required to make up in the long run, no club should be allowed to do transfers going forward.”
“If they are so poor that they can’t afford one million pounds on their wage bill to support their low paid workers – which they should do – they shouldn’t be allowed to have transfers.”
“No transfer window for you; sorry, if you are that poor you don’t need one.
“Not a single football club in the country would go furlough if it meant they couldn’t do business if and when football resumes.”
“They just wouldn’t do it! And that is why football looks really bad this morning.”
“Football looks bad because of that, and football also looks bad for what I feel is the bullying of players to rescue football when football is a billionaire industry owned by people who would blink at a footballer’s wages and are doing nothing.”
It’s really hard to disagree with this point, it’s worth remembering that Liverpool and Spurs were Champions League finalists less than a year ago – and now they are seeking the government’s support?
Banning these clubs from making transfers seems like a completely fair and just response, especially towards clubs who are enjoying the riches of the Premier League.