Former Reds criticize Liverpool's decision of furloughing staff

Liverpool football club over the last few months have done no wrong, be it on the pitch or off the pitch. However, it is said that after the dip in results against Watford, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid in very quick succession, the club is facing some problems behind the scenes. 

This comes after Liverpool took the controversial decision to furlough staff in the middle of the coronavirus crisis. This decision is reported to have created a division within the club after the captain Jordan Henderson rallied Premier League captains to donate wages to the NHS.

The Reds are not alone in this and are accompanied by Norwich, Tottenham, Newcastle United and Bournemouth, who have announced similar measures. However, a club that is in such a strong financial position as the European champions and Premier League leaders should not have to defer the wages of non-playing staff to the government.

Jamie Carragher, a former Red led the criticism and highlighted the difference between the compassionate tone of Klopp and the Liverpool players and the decision taken at the boardroom level.

Carragher tweeted, “Jurgen Klopp showed his compassion for all at the start of this pandemic, senior players heavily involved in Premier League players taking wage cuts, then all respect and goodwill is lost, poor this LFC.”

Following this, former Reds midfielder, Danny Murphy wrote in his column for the Mail that said furloughing staff flies in the face of the ‘community’ spirit the club has embodied ever since the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.

His exact words were, “I’m particularly disappointed with the decision coming from Liverpool because it runs against the togetherness and unity the club has always been renowned for, particularly over the last 30 years since Hillsborough.”

The move has been opposed almost universally and it is said that the call was made considering the business part of the club despite making eight-figure profits year on year.

featured image credits- thehindu.com