Football news - Tottenham furlough 550 staff, including Daniel Levy, to cope with coronavirus

In a strongly worded statement on Tuesday, chairman Levy confirmed Spurs were taking advantage of the Government’s furlough scheme in order to "protect jobs”, with those involved set to be paid 80 per cent of their wages through April and May.

"We shall all need to work together to ensure the impact of this crisis does not undermine the future stability of the club," the statement read. "We have seen some of the biggest clubs in the world such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus take steps to reduce their costs.

"Yesterday, 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% utilising, where appropriate, the Government’s furlough scheme. We shall continue to review this position. We hope the current discussions between the Premier League, PFA and LMA will result in players and coaches doing their bit for the football eco system."

As the virus continues to wreak havoc across the world, with the cancellation of major sporting events continuing, Levy also had a stern message for those expecting a return to normality anytime soon.

"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," Levy added.

"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 may be 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.

"I have no doubt we will get through this crisis but life will take some time to get back to normal. I hope we will never take for granted so many basic things such as getting off the train at Seven Sisters, walking along Tottenham High Road, entering our stadium with our family and friends, and buying a beer and pie ahead of watching Spurs play at home. I wish everyone good health, a speedy return to normal life and watching Spurs at home in front of our fans. Stay safe."