The Italian football players association (AIC) on Friday
announced plans to strike on September 25 and 26 to protest against
plans by league bosses to reduce their rights in transfer
dealings.
AC Milan defender Massimo Oddo, a spokesman for the AIC, said
the body had agreed with all Serie A teams that no player would
turn up to play on those matchdays "unless a new contracts system
is established".
A collective contract between the AIC and league bosses
guaranteeing players' rights expired during the summer, however
talks on renewing that deal failed, leading to the current
impasse.
Clubs now want the power to insist that players who are in the
final year of their contracts must accept a transfer to another,
equally competitive club.
If the player disagrees, he must buy out the final year of his
contract at 50 percent of its worth.
Oddo added: "The strike is to protest against the failure to
renew the last contract but is also against current aims to reduce
the status of players to simple objects."
Italian league (Lega) president, Maurizio Beretta, later hit out
at the AIC's decision, which he effectively qualified as
blackmail.
"To come to the negotiating table with a loaded gun is not the
best way to go about looking for an agreement," he told Rai
television.
"To come out and threaten to strike is an extremely serious
position to take. A bad example is being shown to other
professional sports in this country, sports that are experiencing
serious financial problems."
Beretta said the AIC "would do better to wait until the meeting
on Monday," which has been scheduled between players and league
officials.
AFP