Spurs staff faced with pay cut while Burnley make Turf Moor available to NHS

The measure means that 550 employees will endure the cuts for the next two months and comes after Premier League rivals Newcastle furloughed their staff.

"The club's operations have effectively ceased, some of our fans will have lost their jobs and most will be worried about their future," Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said.

"Our sponsors will be concerned about their businesses and our media partners have no certainty when we may play games again or whether we will be allowed to play in front of our fans.

"In the meantime, the club has an annual cost base running into hundreds of millions of pounds.

"We have seen some of the biggest clubs in the world such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus take steps to reduce their costs.

"(On Monday), having already taken steps to reduce costs, we ourselves made the difficult decision - in order to protect jobs - to reduce the remuneration of all 550 non-playing directors and employees for April and May by 20 per cent utilising, where appropriate, the Government's furlough scheme."

Levy offers a bleak outlook for the game as Covid-19 sweeps across the globe.

"When I read or hear stories about player transfers this summer like nothing has happened, people need to wake up to the enormity of what is happening around us," he said.

"With over 786,000 infected, nearly 38,000 deaths and large segments of the world in lockdown, we need to realise that football cannot operate in a bubble.

"We maybe the eighth largest club in the world by revenue according to the Deloitte survey, but all that historical data is totally irrelevant as this virus has no boundaries."

Burnley are making Turf Moor available to the NHS in case extra hospital capacity is needed and have promised to issue free tickets to hospital staff for future games.

Parts of the the Clarets' home ground, starting with the Elite Training Centre adjacent to the stadium, will be opened to the East Lancashire Hospital Trust.

In addition, the club will be following Brighton's lead in offering free tickets for healthcare staff for future matches to "recognise and reward the contribution of NHS workers in our region".

"The safety and well-being of everyone in our area is our primary concern," Burnley chief executive Neil Hart said.

"To that end, we will willingly allow the Trust to utilise facilities at Turf Moor to help manage their demand in any way we can.

"Beyond that, when football resumes we will be paying our own tribute and saying thanks to the key workers of the NHS for the incredible jobs they are doing.

"Final plans will need to be determined around a restart of the game but we will be hosting a day of full engagement and participation for NHS employees on a match-day in the future."

Norwich become latest top-flight club to start furloughing staff

Norwich have become the latest Premier League club to start furloughing staff.

The Canaries, bottom of the top flight, will utilise the government's coronavirus job retention scheme, which allows staff to claim 80 per cent of their wages, to a maximum of £2,500 per mont

The club will then top up the money to ensure their staff receive their full salary.

Newcastle and Tottenham have already begun the process of furloughing non-playing staff because of the coronavirus pandemic, which has halted football across the world.

A Norwich statement read: "Owing to the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic, Norwich City Football Club will begin the process of furloughing members of its staff who are unable to work at this time.

"Under the government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the furloughing of staff will safeguard future jobs and help sustain the club throughout this period.

"The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will mean that 80 percent of the salaries of furloughed staff, up to £2,500 per month per individual, will be paid by the government.

"The club will top up the money received from the scheme to ensure that all furloughed staff receive their usual salary in full.

"Where necessary, part-time and casual staff will also be furloughed.

"As part of the scheme, furloughed staff will not be permitted to carry out work for the club. The club will continue to monitor and review the situation as it develops."