The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic continued on Sunday.
Here, the PA news agency recaps the day’s biggest developments.
6am – Former England captain Wayne Rooney pens a column in The Sunday Times. In it he suggests the country’s leading players have been publicly shamed by both politicians and the Premier League in a bid to force through wage reductions. Rooney called the handling of the debate “a disgrace” with the players “easy targets”.
.@RugbyAU remains focused on securing a fair and reasonable deal with the players that will help protect the long-term future of our game. Statement from @RugbyAU Chairman & CEO on RUPA negotiations.https://t.co/g7BYIRL2i2 — Rugby Australia (@RugbyAU) April 5, 2020
8.17am – An emergency pay deal for Australia’s leading rugby union players moves a step closer following talks.
9.45am – Match of the Day host Gary Lineker appears on BBC One’s Andrew Marr show, telling viewers footballers were being unfairly singled out for wage reductions ahead of other high-earners. He also said conversations with players led him to believe an agreement would be done within the week.
1pm Manchester City confirm they will not be taking advantage of the government’s coronavirus job retention scheme by furloughing non-playing staff. A statement from the club said: “”We remain determined to protect our people, their jobs and our business”.
1.30pm Health Secretary Matt Hancock doubles down on his plea for footballers to donate money, highlighting hospices as a cause in need of assistance. He told ITV News: “Those shops have had to close so I’m putting more money – taxpayer’s money – into hospices to support them but why don’t our footballers club together and support our hospices and support the national effort that we’re all in?”
A statement from Albion Chief Executive Mark Jenkins.https://t.co/cKRN441B3d — West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) April 5, 2020
3.01pm West Brom announce chief executive Mark Jenkins will take a 100 per cent pay cut during the coronavirus crisis, with the club’s senior management also offering to take large reductions in their wages.
4pm UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says playing behind closed doors is a better option than scrapping the season – but warned the Champions League and Europa League could be abandoned. “That’s what the people want, that brings positive energy, and it will be July or August,” he told ZDF Sportstudio. “We can’t play it out in September or October.”
Training update: Bayern to train in small groups from Monday. — FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) April 5, 2020
8.22pm Bayern Munich announce that their players will return to training on Monday for the first time since the Bundesliga campaign was suspended.
9.30pm Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor underlined the importance of clubs making a full financial disclosure as talks over player pay cuts continue. The interview with Telegraph Sport also saw Taylor call Health Minister Hancock’s attacks on players “astonishing”.
