The Government was urged on Thursday by a leading MP to impose a “windfall tax” on Premier League clubs that refuse to impose coronavirus-crisis pay cuts on their players while applying for a public bailout to bankroll their non-playing staff.

Julian Knight, the chairman of parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media & Sport select committee, wrote to the Chancellor demanding “sanctions” if what he branded a “two-tier system” was not scrapped by next week.

Knight, who also wrote to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters urging him to broker a climbdown, said a windfall tax would enable the Treasury to recover money claimed by clubs under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

He said: “We are facing an obscene situation where top players who aren’t working are continuing to see hundreds of thousands of pounds roll in each week while the staff who keep the clubs going are losing wages.

“If the Premier League isn’t going to act to resolve this crisis then the Government must step in by imposing a significant financial penalty on clubs to reimburse those hit hardest in the pocket.

“That’s why I have written to Chancellor Rishi Sunak today demanding that Premier League clubs do the right thing by Tuesday next week or face the consequences.”