The Arsenal playmaker Ozil has been called out by some after reportedly refusing to decrease his salary for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic.
Manchester United legend Roy Keane has fired back at criticisms of the Premier League’s top players for an obvious refusal to take a pay cut amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has been singled out in latest days for reportedly not agreeing to decrease his wages after a range of his team-mates voluntarily offered to give up 12.5 per cent of their salary.
That led to the German’s agent, Dr Erkut Sogut, reacting in defence of players that choose not to take a wage reduction, insisting that there needs to be more transparency from the club before footballers make such essential decisions.
And Keane has echoed those sentiments, suggesting that the wealthy owners at some of the Premier League’s largest clubs mustn’t be looking at their highest earners to take pay cuts and that the responsibility falls primarily with those at the very top.
The former United midfielder told Sky Sports: “I’m not certain how I’d have dealt with it, I have a lot of sympathy for the players out there, a lot of players are getting criticised.
“Looking at it now, especially with the way I left United, and I’m talking about players at the really big, massive clubs, with a lot of wealthy owners and pressure to take pay cuts, I would not take a pay cut if I was at one of the bigger clubs.
“It’s nobody’s business what you do with your wages or what Ozil does.
You take your wages and if you desire to be generous, go ahead and do it, there is a lot of speculation out there however I do not think people should agree with everything they read about what players are doing, taking 10 per cent or 15 per cent.
“Players ought to not feel underneath pressure, particularly at the big clubs.
I know everyone is different, different circumstances, however your contract with the club is a personal matter and this idea that all the players have do to this is nonsense, it is up to the person and if they want to stick to their wages, whilst they have a billionaire in the background, then do that.
“I am amazed at the amount of people leaping on the bandwagon and criticising the players, it is nobody’s business.
I’m talking about the clubs with rich owners, I have sympathy for the lower leagues, you make sacrifices in the lower leagues however the players at the top, where the clubs have the money, stick to your guns.
“At the bigger clubs the cash is on hand to the players, individual players getting criticised is unfair, you have different personalities in the dressing room.
Some players getting their full wages may be the most generous people on the planet and let them do what they want, for the NHS or some thing charity however I’d fight the players’ corner.”
