Manchester City have become the first Premier League to insist they will not take advantage of the government scheme to furlough staff.
Tottenham, Liverpool and Newcastle United have come under a wealth of criticism after putting their non-playing staff on furlough, which sees the government cover 80% of wages up to £2,500 a month.
While Everton have already stated they have no immediate plans to furlough staff, City have become the first to make a full commitment to paying the entirety of their non-playing staff in full during the coronavirus crisis.
City's chief operating officer Omar Berrada wrote to all club staff over the weekend assuring them their wages would still be paid by the club.
A club spokesperson said: "We can confirm, following a decision by the Chairman and Board last week, that Manchester City will not be utilising the UK Government's 'Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
"We remain determined to protect our people, their jobs and our business whilst at the same time doing what we can to support our wider community at this most challenging time for everybody."
Liverpool and Tottenham, who competed in the Champions League final last season, have both been widely criticised for their approach to the situation.
However, they are not the only Premier League clubs to utilise the government scheme and it's expected that other clubs could follow with similar decisions in the coming days and weeks.
Given the PR disaster that has followed though, many could match City's stance by making a commitment to their non-playing staff while the pandemic continues.
