Ex-Preston North End skipper John Mousinho says players eager to help financially

Mousinho, who plays for Oxford United, is a member of the PFA’s management board.

Football has been brought into the spotlight in recent days amid the health crisis.

There has been a call for players to take pay cuts and some clubs – Liverpool and Tottenham included – have used the Government’s furlough system despite the wealth at their disposal.

Mousinho, who had two years on PNE’s books and was captain under Graham Westley, said: “‘There’s a clamour from politicians that footballers need to take cuts and to take cuts now.

“But in terms of an agreement they only need it today and tomorrow from a PR perspective — the end of April is the next time footballers get paid.

“In the meantime no footballers have gone, ‘I’m refusing a cut’.

“It might seem to those like Julian Knight (chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee) and (health secretary) Matt Hancock football is dilly-dallying and not taking a lead but we need a proper agreement.

“To say that football is ‘in a moral vacuum’, I know for a fact footballers are incredibly generous in terms of charity work.

“In terms of time and finance, most top-level footballers contribute a huge amount through foundations.

“From a footballer’s perspective, I think if a pay cut pays the staff that is seen as a bonus and footballers would also like to see money go to the NHS and the frontline.

“Also, as you go down the pyramid you’ve got footballers that have mortgages and bills to pay.

“They may be in debt, so the PFA has to protect them.”

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