Premier League

LONDON — Some of England's leading players will go head-to-head from their living rooms over Easter as part of a new FIFA 20 tournament launched by the FA on Thursday.

With real action suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, players will find themselves in limbo over the holiday weekend — usually one of the most intense times of the season when leagues are nearing their climax.

LONDON — Premier League footballers, facing pressure to accept wage cuts during the coronavirus outbreak, have launched a fund to raise money for National Health Service (NHS) charities to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak.

With the Premier League at a standstill, the players have been criticised in the British media over the last week for resisting calls from the clubs to accept wage deferrals and cuts to reduce wage bills.

The players union, however, questioned the call for a 30-percent player wage reduction, saying it would reduce tax revenue for Britain's NHS.

Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min will be exposed to tear gas, undertake live-fire drills and go on a 30km loaded march during three weeks of intense military training in South Korea this month, a Marine Corps official told Reuters on Tuesday.

All able-bodied men are required to serve in the military for around two years in South Korea, which is technically still at war with the North, but Son received an exemption for leading the country to gold at the 2018 Asian Games.

The mother of Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has died after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, the English Premier League champions said on Monday. 

"The Manchester City family are devastated to report the death today of Pep's mother Dolors Sala Carrió in Manresa, Barcelona after contracting coronavirus. She was 82-years-old," City said in a post on their official Twitter account. "Everyone associated with the club sends their most heartfelt sympathy at this most distressing time to Pep, his family and all their friends." 

MANCHESTER, England — The players union representing Premier League footballers has questioned the league's call for a 30 percent player wage reduction amid the coronavirus crisis, saying it would reduce tax revenue for the National Health Service.

The stance taken by the union raises the prospect of a damaging public wrangle over the salaries of some of the best paid footballers in the world at a time when Britain is facing a major public health crisis.

Premier League leaders Liverpool have furloughed some of their non-playing staff due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are holding talks about the prospect of salary deductions for players and senior staff, the club said on Saturday.

Liverpool added on their website that the furloughed staff would continue to receive 100 percent of their salaries.

The Premier League has said its clubs will consult with their players over a proposed 30 percent reduction in wages and the suspended season would only resume when it was "safe and appropriate."

The league accepted that a previous target of returning to action in early May would not now happen and said on Friday it was keeping the restart date under "constant review."

While there has been speculation about a reduced season or even abandoning this campaign, the league said it remained their aim to complete all remaining domestic league and cup matches.

MANCHESTER, England — Tottenham Hotspur's decision to impose a 20 percent wage reduction on 550 non-playing staff due to the impact of the coronavirus has prompted increased pressure on Premier League players to take a pay cut or a deferral of wages.

The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) are in talks with the Premier League over how best to deal with the current suspension of competition, but the moves by some clubs to use the government's furlough scheme has prompted sharp criticism.