The 20 Premier League captains are close to reaching agreement on the formation of a charitable fund – based on player contributions – to help the frontline fight during the coronavirus pandemic.
There has long been the will among the league’s players to support the NHS on a financial level – together with other important organisations and causes – but it has needed time and coordination to bring the vision together.
Acting as representatives for their squads, the captains have spent recent days in conference calls – the latest of which began at midday on Wednesday – and they have had a variety of issues to confront.
One of them has been how to pitch the level of the contributions from each squad, with everybody mindful that some earn rather more than others, and to ensure that those who cannot give as much are not made to look less generous. The proposed solution has been for each squad’s donation to arrive anonymously into the central fund, which will be distributed locally and nationally.
Unsurprisingly, the players want their money to work in hospitals near to their clubs, although there has been the added complication of overseas players wanting to do their bit for their home countries. Distribution percentages from the fund have been a key topic.
Each captain has tried – after discussions with teammates – to fix a base percentage of their monthly pay packets to give, although if anybody can contribute more then that would be gratefully received. The talks have initially targeted players’ take-home for April and May.
Players at some clubs are under pressure to accept pay cuts from their chairmen, with Daniel Levy at Tottenham, for example, having said he wants members of his squad to do “their bit for the football ecosystem” in the face of an unprecedented crisis.
But the Guardian understands that whereas all squads will gladly contribute to the fund overseen by the captains, which allows for greater control over where the money will go, some will not accept pay reductions.
In a further charity initiative by players, Common Goal has announced the launch of its Covid-19 response fund. It aims to help tackle the pandemic’s immediate effects among young and vulnerable people in deprived communities, before ensuring support continues beyond the initial response.
Common Goal – a global project whose members include Juan Mata, Jürgen Klopp and Megan Rapinoe – is a movement through which footballers and coaches pledge 1% of their earnings to organisations that drive social change. It works with community bodies in 90 countries.
“To overcome coronavirus, and the other challenges facing humanity, we need to coordinate individual efforts and work together as a team,” said Mata, who launched Common Goal in 2017. “I’m urging not only my Common Goal teammates, but also all other players and football leaders from around the world, to unite and help tackle this crisis.” The fund is also open to people outside the football industry.
