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Serie A rejects contract, players strike looms

Comment: 0 August 25th, 2011 by: admin

The chances of a Serie A players strike recently increased as a collective contract signed by the players union was rejected by the league.

With an 18-2 final vote, the Serie A rejected the agreement submitted by players who found the previous version unacceptable.

The terms of the earlier agreement allowed club managers to force unwanted players to train separately from the rest of the squad. Furthermore, it required players to pay a ‘solidarity tax’. The two provisions – Articles 7 and 4, respectively –came as changes to an older collective contract that expired in 2010.

By rejecting the contract signed by the players, the Serie A declared that they stand firm on the changes, and that there can be no signing at all unless these two provisions are included.

‘The text signed by the players’ association can’t be signed if those two points are not integrated,’ stated Serie A president Maurizio Beretta.

Damiano Tommasi, former midfielder and current players’ association president, stated that proceeding with the scheduled Serie A fixtures is not an option.

‘At the moment, the current conditions are not right to play,’ said Tommasi. ‘I am horrified that we can’t play this weekend, but we cannot start the new season without a collective agreement.’

Reports revealed that a decisive meeting scheduled Wednesday for the Italian football federation had been moved to Thursday following the rejection of the agreement.

‘The federation meeting was postponed but I don’t see what could change,’ said Tommasi.

Two strike threats due to contract conflicts have already been put out last season; both, however, were avoided through verbal agreements settled last minute. According to the players’ association, those agreements are yet to be filed officially on paper.

Should the strike push through over the weekend, it will herald the second European league opening halted by player protests. Labour conflicts regarding player’s wages have already ignited a players’ protest in the Spanish Primera Division, halting the weekend opening rounds.

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