Sam Allardyce has taken aim at heath secretary Matt Hancock over his attack on Premier League footballers and has hailed their recently launched #PlayersTogether fund.
Hancock has come under fire from people within football over the past week after he more than once called for rich players to ‘play their part’ and take a pay cut during the coronavirus crisis.
AFP
Hancock has been vocal in his criticism of footballers amid the coronavirus crisis
Manchester United legend Gary Neville, Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend and Burnley manager Sean Dyche were among those who hit out at the politician.
In an interview with talkSPORT, Dyche said Hancock was ‘ill-informed’ and defended footballers, insisting the sport has a long history of players and clubs supporting charities and other good causes.
The narrative has changed somewhat in recent days, with Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and a group of players from all 20 Premier League clubs launching the new #PlayersTogether fund – raising money to help fund the NHS and other health services up and down the country.
The fund has earned widespread praise, and former England and Premier League manager Allardyce also hailed the new initiative on Thursday’s talkSPORT Breakfast.
Like Dyche, he insisted charity work in football is nothing new, and also questioned why the health secretary singled out footballers and not some of the UK’s other mega-wealthy people.
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Sam Allardyce is not happy with health secretary Matt Hancock
“I still don’t know why the health secretary decided to have a go at football,” Big Sam told Alan Brazil and Ally McCoist on talkSPORT.
“It’s beyond me why they do it, again and again.
“Football gives the greatest amount of money to the tax and inland revenue scheme in this country – they give hundreds of millions of pounds.
“And he decided to jump on football and criticise players for what they’re doing and what they should be doing?
“I don’t hear him going on about bankers, hedge funders, the billionaires in London or the people or companies that avoid tax in this county and make lots of money here.
“Lets see if he says something about them now, because players have come together and decided to donate.
Burnley boss Sean Dyche responds to Matt Hancock’s criticism of Premier League footballers
“And I have to make it clear, because I spoke to few people yesterday about this, and Players Together has got nothing to do with Matt Hancock and the sports minister – they were doing this anyway!
“Unfortunately for them, they’ve been criticised and now they [Hancock] are probably trying to take credit, saying: ‘we kicked them into shape on donating’.
“But they didn’t! They were going to do this anyway, as all players would and always have done in my time in the game over many years.”
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