Mirror report - Harry Maguire asks United players to donate 30% of wages

Because yesterday our health secretary just called out footballers for not taking a pay cut to pay for the non-playing staff that are getting furloughed, rather than making the billionaires who own the clubs and employ the guys to pay for them.
Yeah I read that on here. It's just all a PR nightmare in the first place. The health secretary was out of order, IMO.
 
How would anyone find out about an anonymous charity donation then?

Because the people at the charity who takes the donation or deals with the money always unofficially tells everyone they know!

I've been a charity "champion" (my works silly name for the person who liases with our charities) for a few years and they always love telling us off the record which famous people give anonymously or alternatively, who asks for a fee to turn up at a school.
 
You're right, it would surprise me. If that's the case, fair play to them. Maybe my thoughts about footballers and charities have been coloured by the embarrassing lack of uptake with previous attempts to publicly get them to donate to high profile causes. And the ubiquity of photographers when they visit a hospital for sick kids.

Lots of footballers are very active with charitable work and make significant donations. They just don’t shout about it.
 
Lots of footballers are very active with charitable work and make significant donations. They just don’t shout about it.

And if they do, it works out to the benefit of the involved party.
 
I'd rather that money go straight to the club or government than any nebulous organisation. It's ultimately fans money that is being spent, not the players.

Grinch mode off - it's probably easier to convince players to do this act of philanthropy than it is to take a pay cut before the governments ominous "windfall tax" tears in to any club furloughing their staff.

As I said though I want Manchester United to survive this virus too.
 
And if they do, it works out to the benefit of the involved party.

Not that it stops idiots saying they’re “doing it for the tax benefits” which has never made even the slightest bit of sense.
 
I'd rather that money go straight to the club or government than any nebulous organisation. It's ultimately fans money that is being spent, not the players.

Grinch mode off - it's probably easier to convince players to do this act of philanthropy than it is to take a pay cut before the governments ominous "windfall tax" tears in to any club furloughing their staff.

As I said though I want Manchester United to survive this virus too.

How does that even make sense?
 
Because yesterday our health secretary just called out footballers for not taking a pay cut to pay for the non-playing staff that are getting furloughed, rather than making the billionaires who own the clubs and employ the guys to pay for them.
I must have missed that bit (I usually watch the daily briefings but missed some due to work yesterday). Googling it he said: “Given the sacrifices that many people are making, including some of my colleagues in the NHS who have made the ultimate sacrifice of going into work and have caught the disease and have sadly died, I think the first thing that Premier League footballers can do is make a contribution, take a pay cut and play their part.”

Maybe implied but that doesn't say their pay cut should cover non playing staffs wages (though missed that part of show as mentioned). I don't have an issue with well off people being asked to share the pain a bit (as long as applies to a lot of other wealthy individuals).

Maybe the Govt are a bit pissed that some clubs are using the salary retention scheme when they could perhaps do without it. Personally, if I was a footballer on a 6-figure weekly wage, I'd hope I was brought up well enough to try and find some way to use it wisely in the current situation, though maybe not a pay cut as that just helps clubs, some of whom don't need help.

What HM is proposing sounds good to me.
 
Not that it stops idiots saying they’re “doing it for the tax benefits” which has never made even the slightest bit of sense.

Sadly there's far too many of them. In a more cut throat time, evolution might've bred them out. But now, they're just here to get manipulated for the benefit of the very few and the detriment of the rest.
 
Manchester Uniteds monthly wage bill is around £11,8 million for the first team.

This means that Manchester United (*assuming Alexis Sanchez also donates 30%) donates £3,556 million GBP every week to Manchester hospitals. That will buy a LOT of life saving equipment. Bravo Harry, and the players who signed off.
Probably you must take maths classes for 1st grade again.
 
The money in his bank account belongs to his employer, not him.

Football clubs are an interesting hybrid of public service, charity and business.

That said I reread the link and the money is going to NHS charities and the Manchester hospitals so how could anyone complain about that :nervous:
 
I'd rather that money go straight to the club or government than any nebulous organisation. It's ultimately fans money that is being spent, not the players.

Grinch mode off - it's probably easier to convince players to do this act of philanthropy than it is to take a pay cut before the governments ominous "windfall tax" tears in to any club furloughing their staff.

As I said though I want Manchester United to survive this virus too.

If it's money they get paid for doing their job, it's their money.
 
Genuine report? Since it's mirror..
But why only Mag's charity activity being highlighted here.. nationality? surely plenty other players did similar charity things - encouraging their teammates to do join in their charity and all.

Very Good if true. Carry on.
 
I'd rather that money go straight to the club or government than any nebulous organisation. It's ultimately fans money that is being spent, not the players.

Grinch mode off - it's probably easier to convince players to do this act of philanthropy than it is to take a pay cut before the governments ominous "windfall tax" tears in to any club furloughing their staff.

As I said though I want Manchester United to survive this virus too.
I mean the article mentions donating to Manchester hospitals? Are those nefarious organizations? Just because you're making a charitable donation doesn't mean you're donating to a corrupt corporation-like charity.
 
Bugs me when people try to shame these guys in to parting with their wages. Lots will already have foundations and charities they support. Doesn’t Mata already give 5% of his wages somewhere. Take in to account that yes they make 100’s of thousands a week but some probably still live to their limit and to boot they probably already support a number of dependants From brothers, sisters, uncles, cousins, close friends and so on.

Its a fantastic gesture but in no way should they be shamed or forced in to it.

That "somewhere" is the Common Goal charity that Juan Mata co-founded with Streetfootballworld in 2017. Mata is currently on the steering board. He, and all its members donate 1% of their salaries that go into a slush fund that gets donated to numerous football charities globally. https://www.common-goal.org/

Juan Mata is a fantastic human being.
 
Probably you must take maths classes for 1st grade again.

Ok. Educate me. <3.

Edit: Ohhhhh, I see. I made a edit previously in my first post since I forgot to add Sanchez's salary and forgot the bottom line there. MY BAD CHIEF. - Why be such a prick about it though?
 
Yes Captain Harry!! Absolute class.

I'm really pleased we are making a real effort on this, Class is one thing this club should always be regarded as.

Well done lads.
 
I haven't read the article, but is there a specific charity that he's targeting to give the proceeds to? It would be good if it's to the healthcare industry who need all the help they can get currently - whether it's money for buying more equiptment/ventilators/masks etc.

Great gesture by our captain.
 
I haven't read the article, but is there a specific charity that he's targeting to give the proceeds to? It would be good if it's to the healthcare industry who need all the help they can get currently - whether it's money for buying more equiptment/ventilators/masks etc.

Great gesture by our captain.

It's the hospitals around Manchester. Though I wouldn't begrudge players choosing to help other charities too - for example if Bailly would rather his 30% goes to help some charity in Ivory Coast/Africa who might eventually be in a lot more trouble than those of us lucky enough to live in a well off country.
 
Ok. Educate me. <3.

Edit: Ohhhhh, I see. I made a edit previously in my first post since I forgot to add Sanchez's salary and forgot the bottom line there. MY BAD CHIEF. - Why be such a prick about it though?
You say the wages are 11 million per month and then say they will donate 30% which is 3.3 million per week.

30% means 3.3 million per month.
 
Not sure how it is in the UK, but at least where i am from you can write donations to certain organizations off on your taxes. Meaning that eve if you donate money to a hospital, red cross or your local chess club you would end up paying a bit less in taxes. It applies to both individuals and companies.
 
There are several players who have made 6 figure donations without saying anything, including Manchester United players. The "want to be seen" part comes from the public outcry that will 100% happen if everyone who feels entitled to know everything, get's to believe that football players collect grossly enormous salaries for being couped up in their extravagant homes. So going public with the donations is the only way to avoid massive public backlash. I'm sure you understand.
Agree- with politicians using footballers as a deflection tactic, it's fair enough that they 'want to be seen' to be doing something positive and making a meaningful donation, 30%, will at least make a difference.
Why players are being called out before Levy, Ashley etc is ridiculous. Cheap populism.
 
Not sure how it is in the UK, but at least where i am from you can write donations to certain organizations off on your taxes. Meaning that eve if you donate money to a hospital, red cross or your local chess club you would end up paying a bit less in taxes. It applies to both individuals and companies.

You don't end up paying less tax individually. If you gift aid your donation as a taxpayer, the organisation can claim another 25p per pound you donate directly from the government. The idea behind it is that, your donation was from your net income which has already been taxed at 20%.

Higher earners claim some back individually because they pay 40% tax on their earnings above the threshold.
 
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I think the players are doing a bloody good service. You're not seeing these highly paid musicians or actors going out their way to help NHS and yet footballers always forst to get the bad rap by the British press.
 
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I have no doubt that Maguire has the best of intentions and at the end of the day, the recipients don't care if the doners were under pressure to give but if someone like Pobga/De Gea/Sanchez (big earners) prefers to do his own thing charity-wise, this will put a big target on them for morons.
I agree with you on this. My thoughts exactly. No doubt about Harry's intentions but now he put players in situation "Give or be a bastard".
I personally don't like when someone puts you in situation when you must do something. Especially when someone is telling others what they should do with their money.

He could have just open account for help and say to all people; "Please donate if you want/can and you decide how much you want to donate".
 
I agree with you on this. My thoughts exactly. No doubt about Harry's intentions but now he put players in situation "Give or be a bastard".
I personally don't like when someone puts you in situation when you must do something. Especially when someone is telling others what they should do with their money.

He could have just open account for help and say to all people; "Please donate if you want/can and you decide how much you want to donate".

You seriously think he's just come out and put his team mates on the spot like this?
 
I mean the article mentions donating to Manchester hospitals? Are those nefarious organizations? Just because you're making a charitable donation doesn't mean you're donating to a corrupt corporation-like charity.

If anything it's better than giving it to the government, where it takes forever to find its way to the end user and what they buy usually ends up costing double. I donated some money to my local hospital, they had a €350k shopping list of items they can now go and buy immediately thanks to the community donations.
 
"Premier League clubs to consult players on 30% wage cut as resumption delayed"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52148955

I'm guessing United have seen this coming and have headed down a different path by talking with the players.

Yeah we've thrown a curve ball at the majority of PL clubs who can afford to pay all their staff, but were going to fob it off on the players. A few of them might come out looking a bit sheepish.
 
Why focus just on football players? What about politicians hedge fund managers who are all still getting paid? There are many more wealthy people who work in the city than play Premier league football.

Players will have investment plans they won't be spunking their money every week. Its not that easy to donate 30% of their earnings. Some will donate to charity as well.