Italian players stand firm with strike threat
updated 10:08 a.m. ET Aug. 22, 2011
MILAN – The Italian players’ association is standing firm with its threat to strike if a new collective contract is not signed before the start of Serie A this weekend.
Player representatives of all 20 clubs met in Milan on Monday, with players’ association president Damiano Tommasi saying afterward “the fact is that the season cannot start without a collective contract. … We’re hoping to start the season, because that would mean we will have signed the contract.”
Italian soccer federation president Giancarlo Abete was set to hold a news conference later to address the main sticking point: a proposal that would allow clubs to force players no longer wanted to train away from the first team or accept a transfer.
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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44227778/ns/sports-soccer/