Tottenham Hotspur have finally caved to public pressure to reverse their decision to furlough non-playing staff. 

Employees will now be paid 100% of their wages for April and May. 

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust had been at the forefront of calling for chairman Daniel Levy to follow in Liverpool's footsteps and pay staff directly rather than rely on the government scheme, which would have only catered for 80%. 

Spurs said in a statement: 

“In our last update we said we would keep our position under review, especially in the context of revised budgets and cost cutting.

"Having done so we have decided that all non-playing staff, whether full-time, casual or furloughed, will receive 100 per cent of their pay for April and May. Only the board will take salary reductions.

“We are acutely aware that many supporters were against the decision we made regarding furloughing staff who could not carry out their jobs from home – due to the nature of their work – and our intention to apply, if applicable, for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, a scheme designed to ensure that jobs and employment rights are protected.

“Indeed we have seen opposition from fans to fellow Premier League clubs accessing the CJRS too. This once again underlines that we bear different pressures to other businesses, many of whom have and will continue to apply for support from the scheme as the Government intended.

“In view of supporter sentiment regarding the scheme, it is now not our intention to make use of the current CJRS that runs until the end of May. We shall consult with stakeholders, including the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust with whom we have been in dialogue over the past week and who share our desire to protect jobs, should circumstances change going forward.”

Spurs faced huge criticism as the eighth richest side in the world, its revenue reaching £460.7 million for the year 2019. 

The Supporters' Trust praised Tottenham's "maturity" and "humility". A statement read: 

"The Club's Board has listened to the fans on this occasion and ultimately done the right thing. As we said in our statement, no organisation is going to get everything right in these unprecedented circumstances and the eventual outcome is what matters.

"We’re delighted for the Club’s non-playing staff and we thank the Club’s Directors for finding an alternative way forward. This is the first step, but a big step, in restoring relations between fans and the Club."

It's a belated, but welcome, change of heart from the club.