By Fatih Erel
ISTANBUL (AA) - Following criticism from supporters, English Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur on Monday backed down from their decision of a 20% pay cut for hundreds of non-playing staff in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
"In our last update we said we would keep our position under review, especially in the context of revised budgets and cost cutting. Having done so we have decided that all non-playing staff, whether full-time, casual or furloughed, will receive 100 per cent of their pay for April and May," the club said on Monday in a statement.
The club was planning to take a 20% pay cut for 550 non-playing staff during the coronavirus crisis.
"The criticism the Club has received over the last week has been felt all the more keenly because of our track record of good works and our huge sense of responsibility to care for those that rely on us, particularly locally," Tottenham Hotspur Chairman Daniel Levy said.
"We regret any concern caused during an anxious time and hope the work our supporters will see us doing in the coming weeks, as our stadium takes on a whole new purpose, will make them proud of their Club," he added.
Some English Premier League clubs will furlough some non-playing staff -- including Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Norwich City -- while Liverpool have reversed their decision to put some staff on temporary leave.
The death toll in the U.K. from the coronavirus surged to 11,329 after 717 more deaths over the past 24 hours.
Over 1.86 million COVID-19 cases have now been reported in 185 countries and regions since the virus originated in China last December, with Europe and the U.S. being the worst-hit areas.
More than 115,200 people have died and almost 441,000 patients have recovered around the world so far, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.