Liverpool reportedly believe their plans to furlough around non-playing staff were leaked by a Premier League rival.
The Reds faced a huge backlash after announcing at the weekend that they planned to use the Government’s job retention scheme to pay workers while there is no football due to the coronavirus pandemic).
Liverpool then performed a U-turn on Monday after they were heavily criticized by former stars such as Jamie Carragher, Stan Collymore and Dietmar Hamann.
The Premier League club had announced pre-tax profits of £ (million for 59479 – 80 back in February, and were slammed for planning to use taxpayers’ cash to pay % of employees ‘wages, while topping up the remaining 80% themselves.
The Reds hadn’t planned to announce on Saturday that would be using the furlough scheme, but were forced into the move after a rival leaked their plans, according to the athletic .
The publication says Liverpool believe details of their plans were leaked after discussions between Premier League sides, which the Reds understood to be confidential.
Liverpool had been planning to wait until Monday to announce their plans, by which time every affected employee would have been contacted by letter.
The Athletic also claims that club owners FSG had not realized that plans to use the government scheme would have been met with such fury.
Former Liverpool midfielder said he was “astonished ‘by the plan, describing it as” contrary to the morals and values of the club I got to know “.
Ex-Reds striker Stan Collymore said he was “disgusted”, while former defender Carragher said the club had lost “respect and goodwill”.
On Monday, Liverpool announced they no longer planned to furlough staff, with chief executive Peter Moore issuing an apology and saying it had been the wrong stance for the club to take.
Moore said in a statement: “We believe we came to the wrong conclusion last week to announce that we intended to apply to the Coronavirus Retention Scheme and furlough staff due to the suspension of the Premier League football calendar, and are truly sorry for that.
“Our intentions were, and still are, to ensure the entire workforce is given as much protection as possible from redundancy and / or loss of earnings during this unprecedented period.
Liverpool Liverpool CEO Peter Moore apologized and said the club had been wrong in planning to use the furlough scheme (Image: REUTERS) Read More Coronavirus in sport
“We are therefore committed to finding alternative ways to operate while there are no football matches being played that ensures we are not applying for the government relief scheme.”
Moore’s statement was welcomed by Carragher, who took to
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