In announcing a 20 per cent wage cut for all 550 non-playing employees and directors at Tottenham Hotspur, the chairman Daniel Levy confirmed that the club would be “utilising, where appropriate, the government’s furlough scheme”. It’s inappropriate. The elite should not be a drain on the exchequer.

Government resources need focusing fully on the fight against coronavirus, in providing the required personal protective equipment for the NHS. Where Rishi Sunak’s furlough scheme should legitimately be accessed by football is for clubs lower down the pyramid enduring the cash-flow crisis without gate receipts, not by the likes of Spurs and Newcastle United, who have also placed staff on furlough. Others are considering it.

Tottenham pay their top player, Kane, a reported £10 million a year STEPHEN POND/GETTY IMAGES

Depending on salary levels for the 550, and the threshold of £2,500 a