IN THE MONEY: England Lionesses are prepared to strike if the FA don’t put forward acceptable pay offer next week… as Manchester United debts pass £1billion under the Glazers
- England are prepared to strike if the FA don’t provide an acceptable pay offer
- Manchester United’s debts have passed £1billion for the first time
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘ It’s All Kicking Off ‘
The Lionesses are prepared to strike if the FA do not put forward an acceptable pay offer during crunch talks next week.
Sources close to the England women’s squad told Mail Sport that the players would consider the ‘nuclear option’ of stopping all commercial work for the FA and even refusing to play.
One source said that while strike action has not yet been directly suggested, the players were ‘aware of the options open to them if the discussions don’t produce a resolution’.
‘The players want to give the FA the opportunity to resolve this constructively,’ they added. ‘They also have the nuclear option to refuse to play, however that is seen as a last resort.’
The Lionesses are set for talks with the FA when the players head to camp for the Nations League game against Scotland in 12 days’ time, their first game since the heartbreak of losing the World Cup final to Spain.
England Lionesses fell to defeat in the Women’s World Cup final, having put talks over their pay on hold until after the tournament
The Lionesses are set for talks with the FA when the players head to camp for the Nations League game against Scotland in 12 days’ time
Sarina Wiegman’s side made it to the final despite uncertainty off-the-pitch
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Mail Sport revealed on the day of the World Cup final that the squad were looking for £100,000 per player had they become world champions. As runners-up, it is understood the players would agree to around half that amount.
The pay would cover their share of prize money and commercial revenues. The players want clarity over pay going forward instead of negotiating before or after every tournament.
Crucially, the players want a share of the FA’s commercial deals that use the Lionesses as the stars and want an agreement to allow them to secure their own commercial deals.
Squad members lost out on lucrative deals before the World Cup due to restrictions imposed by the FA, with officials worried player deals clashed with their own.
Ahead of the World Cup, the players were angry that the FA weren’t prepared to put in place a structure, despite many other leading nations reaching agreements with their squads.
Captain Millie Bright and the rest of the squad put out a statement confirming their frustration.
Captain Millie Bright and the rest of the squad put out a statement confirming their frustration
The row before the World Cup culminated around the bonus structures, but was more largely a result of players not feeling there was a proper plan in place over how they shared in benefits from the FA.
A source added: ‘The conversations will — the players believe — need to be wider than just bonus payments but more about how this all operates going forward.’
The FA scrapped bonuses for their women because the football world governing body FIFA increased prize money at the current World Cup and, for the first time, announced that it would make payments directly to players.
But they have failed to agree a replacement scheme to recognise the team’s achievements, despite receiving £2.4million more money than ever at a women’s World Cup.
The players earned £153,000 each from FIFA for reaching the recent final.
Glazer reign laid bare to the tune of £1billion debt
The shambolic shape of Manchester United under the Glazers was further laid bare as the club’s debt passed £1billion for the first time.
It comes a week after Mail Sport’s revelations that the Glazers were considering taking the club off the market saw United’s share price plummet and wipe £600million off its value.
An In The Money investigation has found that the club’s third-quarter results show the club’s debts have increased from £969m to £1.005bn this year.
This is due to a combination of gross debt, bank borrowings and outstanding transfer fees.
Outstanding transfer fees have climbed to £279.8m this year — up from £227.7m — and may rise further as the figure does not include the club’s summer deals.
Manchester United’s debt passed £1billion for the first time under the Glazers
United still splashed £180m on summer signings such as Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund.
While the club’s principal debt remains at $650m, a change in the exchange rate meant the club owed £521.5m, compared to £535.7 earlier this year. Bank borrowings fell slightly from £206.2m to £203.7m.
However, the club have revised up expected revenues to a club-record £630m to £640m. They have also extended their kit deal with adidas. The agreement is worth £900m over 10 years.
The Old Trafford giants were stunned this week after club shares suffered their steepest single-day fall after this newspaper reported that the Glazer family was considering a U-turn on plans to sell the club.
Shares in the Premier League club dropped by 18.2 per cent on Tuesday to £15.40 — the biggest daily drop since they were listed on the New York stock exchange in 2012.’
Taxman urged to send footballers to prison
The taxman has been urged to consider sending footballers to prison if they are found guilty of tax evasion after a record £166m was recouped last season.
A rise of more than £100m was recovered by HMRC during 2022-23 that would otherwise have gone unpaid, up from £62.4m the previous year.
Those amounts are expected to continue to rise as transfer fees and wages boom with the game continuing to be flooded by cash from Saudi Arabia.
Ex-Leeds United chairman Gerald Krasner, now a tax expert at Begbies Traynor, believes HMRC need to get tough and start to name and shame those guilty.
Former Leeds chairman Gerald Krasner (pictured) is now a tax expert with Begbies Traynor
Krasner said: ‘I would expect the amount of tax HMRC reclaims to continue to increase over the next few years as the amounts of money in the game increase.
‘Wages, agent payments and transfer fees are growing, especially with Saudi money. HMRC are looking at image rights, plus overseas payments and dual representation.
‘Maybe HMRC should think about naming and shaming players or clubs, or get tough as they did with Lester Piggott — that would cut out the problem for serious offences.
‘Nobody likes paying tax but it is the best way forward for players and agents, who are all in a very privileged position.’
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