Italian Serie A football players announce strike plans
Italian Series A football is considered by many to be the some of the best in the world, but with a dispute between club presidents and players bringing about talks of a looming general strike on behalf of the players, this season might be putting the best to rest early.
On Friday players signed a statement announcing their intention to go on strike. A.C Milan team-mates Massimo Oddo, Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf and Marco Amelia, along with Inter Milan captain Javier Zanetti and Ivan Cordoba released a statement signed by the captains and union representatives of all 20 Serie A clubs. Through the statement an upcoming general players strike was announced. It is set to begin on 25 September, exactly when two of the top-flight teams in the league, AS Roma and Inter Milan were set to go against each other.
Just a few weeks ago Fabio Grosso defected from Juventus after receiving a generous offer from AC Milan. This sparked club presidents to propose the enactment of a contractual obligation that would limit players’ ability to refuse transfers. The players were never told of these talks until they read about it in the newspapers and this sparked an extreme backlash on behalf of the players.
The proposal stipulates that “when a player has a year remaining on his contract, he must accept a transfer to another, equally competitive club that guarantees the same financial treatment.” Should a player refuse the transfer, he would need to resolve the contractual dispute in partnership with the club. What this means according to some experts is that clubs could be allowed to discount the original contract during a players’ final contracted season and pay them only 50 per cent of what was previously agreed upon should the club feel they are performing under their originally estimated value.
It could also mean that a player would have very little say as to whether or not he’s transferred and who he’s transferred to.
Oddo, who speaks on behalf of the players union, said the strike will “definitely go on, independent of the decisions taken in the next board meeting, and it will be extended if suitable agreements are not made, (we) are tired of being treated like objects and not like people. We’re workers like everybody else. Having high salaries doesn’t mean we should have fewer rights.”
The potential implications of this strike are major, not just for Serie A Soccer, but for sports and leagues all over the world. If other unhappy players unions start seeking similar actions the potential losses incurred by these multi-million dollar industries could be off the charts.
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