“Take a pay cut, play your part”
These were the words of Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock during a government press conference this week when asked what Premier League footballers could do to help the country during the Coronavirus outbreak.
Hancock’s comments set into motion a conversation that continues to rage on about footballer’s wages in comparison to frontline workers, as well as the role and responsibilities of players compared to the billionaires who own their clubs and pay their wages.
One person to take issue with the comments is former Stoke City striker and Republic of Ireland international Jon Walters. Speaking to JOE, Walters questioned why Hancock urged Premier League footballers, the majority of whom pay millions in taxes each year, to take pay cuts rather than tax exiles and bankers in possession of equal or vastly more wealth.
“If he’s calling out footballers, call out some other people. Billionaires, tax exiles, bankers. The country bailed out the banks.”@JonWalters19 tells us why footballers are an easy target for politicians, who'd rather single them out than urge tax exiles to "play their part". pic.twitter.com/R1lJKEDOWk
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) April 3, 2020
