The running of a football club is a curious thing, because there wouldn’t be a club or any other jobs associated with the team if it weren’t for the players and success on the pitch.
Finances in football are absurd and we regularly see teams who will pay millions of pounds a year to someone who doesn’t make it onto the pitch, yet those behind the scenes are always the first to go at the slightest whiff of trouble.
Things came to a head at Arsenal today when the club confirmed that 55 members of staff were being made redundant due to the coronavirus crisis:
An update from your club.
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 5, 2020
Attention will immediately turn to players at the club who earn a lot of money and will be kept on at the expense of those staff members, and Mesut Ozil is the Arsenal scapegoat anyway.
It’s vitally important to point out that this isn’t Ozil’s fault in anyway – he was offered a contract by the club and he has nothing to do with the long term business decisions.
It comes down to those running the club and the decisions they’ve made, and there’s plenty of criticism coming their way – and the situation with Ozil is an easy stick to beat them with:
More than 50 members of staff are going to be made redundant, while players sit on huge wages and Ozil's on £350,000-a-week. Pathetic. https://t.co/VigE1jRQVP
— Daniel Cutts (@Journo_Slash) August 5, 2020
We shouldn’t be focusing on Ozil we should be focusing on the kroenkes ?
— Livio ? (@livzledgee) August 5, 2020
Arsenal making 55 staff redundant. Meanwhile…
-Man Utd spending a record €120m on 1 player
-Chelsea will spend > £200m this summer
-City will spend over £300m
-Ozil earns £18m a year
During the worst depression in history, with record unemployment coming
Enough is enough https://t.co/qofFW9ihxk
— Carlo Garganese (@carlogarganese) August 5, 2020
Making 55 folk redundant yet can afford to pay Mezut Ozil £350,000 a week.
Absolute boke inducing behaviour. https://t.co/5Ow8qM08iF
— Derek Clark (@derekclarksport) August 5, 2020
If your immediate reactions to 55 redundancies is to be angry with Ozil and not Kroenke then I guess the brainwashing worked.
— Victoria (@victoriamscott) August 5, 2020
Arsenal explaining why they need to make 55 employees redundant but keep Ozil on £350,000 a week pic.twitter.com/VufkCq7iqI
— Marathonbet (@marathonbet) August 5, 2020