Reasons behind players' strike
Saturday 11 September, 2010
Lega Calcio chief Mario Beretta blasted “a terrible message to those with economic problems,” as we explain the reasons behind the players’ strike.
The AIC (Players’ Association) announced yesterday that it would go on strike for the weekend of September 25-26.
It is a protest against the failure to renegotiate the collective bargaining contract that expires later this year.
“This is truly an extreme gesture and a very grave attitude that risks backfiring,” warned Lega Calcio Serie A President Beretta.
“The idea of sitting down to the negotiating table with a loaded pistol is not the best way to reach an agreement.
“We’re talking about 500-600 people with average salaries of €1.5m. It’s a terrible message to those in the lower levels of Italian football who are facing genuinely serious economic problems.”
The Gazzetta dello Sport gave a rundown of the eight main reasons behind the strike.
Firstly there is the contract, as the Lega wants it to be flexible with a large portion tied to results. The AIC insist 50 per cent must be fixed.
There is a matter of exclusivity, as the AIC want players to be free to decide what other work to do outside of the normal football hours. In essence, this is tied to image rights and advertising.
The Lega Calcio is asking for strict codes of conduct and ethics, both on and off the field, while the AIC insist on absolute freedom in their spare time.
Medical treatment is another bone of contention. The AIC want players to choose their own specialists and force clubs to foot the bill, whereas the clubs would prefer using only their trusted medical staff.
Sanctions for breaking the terms of the contract are currently decided on a case-by-case basis by the sporting courts, but the Lega is pushing for fixed penalties.
The Lega is eager to reform the refereeing situation by appointing a President who is not already involved in football.
The AIC is demanding that a squad train as one group, whereas the Lega wish for Coaches to make their own decisions on training in several separate groups if needed.
This last point is a reaction to the Goran Pandev case, as he was able to terminate his contract with Lazio when proving he trained separately from the main squad, therefore ‘barred’ from doing his work.
Finally, the problem that has arisen a great deal over the summer is that of refusing transfers.
The Lega Calcio demand that a player cannot turn down a transfer to a club of equal standing and with the same salary. If he refuses, he can terminate his contract and be free to sign for who he wants, but only after handing 50 per cent of the income to the club.
Among those players who infuriated clubs by refusing transfers this summer were Fabio Grosso of Juventus, Roma's Julio Baptista and Anthony Vanden Borre at Genoa.