Piers Morgan has slammed Liverpool over their controversial use of the government’s furlough scheme for non-playing staff, describing the move as "astonishingly stupid".
Over the weekend, the Reds confirmed that they would place a number of employees impacted by the suspension of Premier League football due to coronavirus on furlough.
That will mean the taxpayer footing the bill for 80 per cent of the club’s wage bill outside of playing staff for the foreseeable future, though they have committed to making up the remaining 20 per cent themselves.
That small gesture has not shielded Liverpool from widespread criticism, however, with fans, former players, and politicians among those who have denounced the decision.
And Good Morning Britain host Morgan today became the latest high-profile figure to hit out at the Reds, insisting they had undone a lot of their previous good work in making this call.
“Liverpool Football Club built up such a good reputation in recent years under Jurgen Klopp, winning the Champions League [with] this dynamic, wonderful team,” he said.
“Everyone was proud, everyone loved what Liverpool were standing for.
“[That’s] all gone because their billionaire owners in America decided this was a good time, in a year where they made £45m profit, that they were going to furlough their staff at Liverpool.
“They were going to get the British taxpayer to pay 80 per cent of the salaries of Liverpool staff. This is when they’re paying players millions a year, £5-10m a year some of those players.
“This is when they’re making tens and hundreds of millions of pounds in gate receipts, in fees for winning the Champions League and so on.
“What an astonishingly stupid decision by Liverpool Football Club.”
In February, Liverpool announced a pre-tax profit of £42m and a record turnover of £533m for the financial year 2018-19.
