That’s not strictly true. The alternative to furlough for normal workers, is being laid off. So a worker could in theory refuse furlough, that guaranteed a minimum of 80% of their wage, in favour of being laid off with no pay, but you’d have to be pretty special to want to take that option.
The difference with footballers, is that they have an asset value on the balance sheet. So a footballer could refuse furlough, and tell his employer that they’d have to lay him off if they wanted to save wages. The minute they lay them off, the player becomes a free agent and the asset value is lost.
Hence why the PFA and no doubt the slimey agents are currently advising their players to accept nothing in terms of a reduced salary. Which makes the lot of them - ****s.