Alan McInally: "It's not a party political broadcast we are on and Matt Hancock has enough things to worry about without having a go at football players"
Wednesday 8 April 2020 14:16, UK
Sky Sports Football Expert Alan McInally has described Matt Hancock's suggestion that Premier League players should take a pay cut as a joke.
The Health Secretary stated at Thursday's government daily briefing that players could "take a pay cut and play their part."
That has already prompted an angry response from PFA chairman Gordon Taylor and McInally is also unhappy with Hancock's comments.
"It's not a party political broadcast we are on and Matt Hancock has enough things to worry about without having a go at football players," McInally told Sky Sports News.
"For him to suggest taking a 30 per cent cut is a joke. Seriously. Any money from any football player, Premier League or otherwise, it should be going back into football. End of.
"If you are going to look after people at football clubs, it's the person who cleans the strips; the person who cuts the grass; and the person who makes you a cup of tea in the morning.
"I agree with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, although it's not so much that they are an easy target - they are on big money - a lot more money than anyone else and that brings a kind of jealousy, that's just the way life is.
"Modern football players at the top level get a lot of money and a lot of them, I'm quite sure, are happy to give back.
"But they're not giving back to the NHS, they're giving back to our grassroots. That's where I would like to see the money go, to the FA, and the FA give it to Accrington, Torquay, name a team.
"That's where the money should go, if you want to make sure none of our clubs go to the wall."
McInally also suggested players would want to know exactly where the money they were being asked to forfeit would be used.
"You'd want to know where your money is going to, if you are paying any money to a charity," he added.
"I'd want the money to be drifting down to clubs that are struggling and have had to furlough employees."
