West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady says many Premier League clubs face ruin due to the coronavirus and vows to take the same pay cut that players are being urged to accept.
Like almost every other industry, football has been ground to a halt because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with almost all leagues suspended until further notice.
The Premier League announced this week that there had been discussions over asking players to take a 30 per cent pay cut to ease the burden on clubs as they look to compensate for the lack of revenue.
And Brady insists that deferring players' wages is a necessity, otherwise clubs will go out of business.
"There is no matchday revenue, no sale of season tickets for next season, no retail outlets open and online retail businesses have closed as it is not essential work," Brady wrote in her column in The Sun.
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"With no date for restarting the league, this is having severe financial implications.
"Bearing in mind the majority of the broadcast revenue goes to pay the players’ wages it is unthinkable that the PFA don’t seem to understand this.
"They seem to suggest that the players taking a pay cut means the money somehow goes into the owners pockets which is totally ridiculous.
"I applaud Andros Townsend’s tirade against people who make players out as 'villains' just as I dislike the PFA claim that a pay cut settlement will 'only serve the shareholders’ interests'.
"The PFA may believe its responsibilities end with the players but they really don’t, they owe a great deal to the structure of professional football as well.
"No one wants to be having pay cut discussions with anyone because no one wants to be in this position.
"It is a global pandemic and extremely serious. And without any revenue — and no games being played — how on earth do we ensure the ongoing business survives?
"And, take it from me, unless a pay cut is put in place a number of clubs will be ruined."
She added: "This is not an easy time for anyone and we are not immune to the fact this will affect each of them differently.
"I wish there was another way but, without income and matches, there really isn’t. I for one will take the same cut as they will, after all we are all in this together."