Premier League clubs, including Sheffield United, should be handed financial penalties if they don't defer pay, says MP

Sheffield United were seventh in the table when English football ground to a halt: Simon Bellis/Sportimage

The issue of pay hit the headlines this week with news that Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have placed members of their non-playing staff on furlough, which means the government will pay their wages - up to a limit of 80 per cent.

With the Premier League currently suspended to try and limit the spread of Covid-19, pressure is being put on clubs and players to agree to wage cuts/deferrals to ease the financial burden.

Discussions are ongoing between the game's governing bodies in this country, with the issue of deferring pay just one item on the agenda.

And DCMS Committee Chair Julian Knight MP believes the government must act, if they feel clubs are not.

Knight said: "We are facing an obscene situation where top players who aren't working are continuing to see hundreds of thousands of pounds roll in each week while the staff who keep the clubs going are losing wages.

"If the Premier League isn't going to act to resolve this crisis then the Government must step in by imposing a significant financial penalty on clubs to reimburse those hit hardest in the pocket.

"That's why I have written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak today demanding that Premier League clubs do the right thing by Tuesday next week or face the consequences."

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