Andros Townsend hits back at health secretary Matt Hancock following calls for wage cuts

Hitting back | Andros Townsend has criticised Matt Hancock for singling out footballers
REUTERS

Andros Townsend has hit back at Matt Hancock, the health secretary, following his criticism of footballers.

During the daily Downing Street press conference on Thursday, the health secretary called on Premier League players to take pay cuts and said "the first thing Premier League footballers can do is make a contribution."

The Professional Footballers Association have been locked in talks with the Premier League and Football League this week looking to come to an agreement over any cuts or deferrals, but insist players should not be asked to pay the salaries of non-playing staff where clubs can afford to do so anyway.

Townsend, along with many other footballers, has already made donations to the local community. The Crystal Palace winger made a donation to the Football United campaign, while the Eagles squad also made a large donation to Age UK Croydon.

"Football is trying to do a lot of good," Townsend told TalkSport.

"To wake up yesterday and see footballers being painted as villains was a bit of a surprise. The health secretary, deflecting blame on to footballers, I don’t think that is right. His job is the responsibility of NHS workers.

"NHS workers have been underpaid for years. Only 2,000 have been able to be tested for coronavirus. This is not right, these people are putting their lives on the line to try and save lives.

"He is coming out and deflecting on to the easy targets, the footballers, and that doesn’t sit right with me. We do have a responsibility but we are giving back to the community and rightly so. We are in a very privileged position. The community effectively pay our wages. At a time like this we need to give back."

Four Premier League clubs - Newcastle, Tottenham, Norwich and Bournemouth - have already taken advantage of the government's furlough support. Spurs drew heavy criticism, with the announcement coming on the same day chairman Daniel Levy's £7million pay packet for last season was revealed in club accounts.

There have been growing calls for players to top up the salary of furloughed staff, something the players and the union are hesitant to do if the club could afford to in the first place.

"If the players end up agreeing to a pay cut or deferral and a few days later the PFA find out that these clubs can continue to pay non-playing staff and are choosing not to, then who benefits," said Townsend.

"The NHS are not benefiting, these heroes are not benefiting. If the clubs can continue to pay them and are choosing not to then it is only those clubs that are benefiting."

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