Due to yet another breakdown in talks between the player’s union and the league, Serie A players have announced that the previously postponed work stoppage is back on. The date for the strike has been set as the weekend of December 11 and 12 and will include all of the fixtures planned for those days.
Beretta: Student of the Blatter School of Leadership
The strike was originally postponed to allow Italian Federation (FIGC) President Giancarlo Abete the opportunity to intervene, but even Abete was not able to get the two sides to agree to terms.
Both sides blame the other, of course, for the collapse of negotiations. Associazione Calciatore Italiana (ACI) Vice President Leonardo Grosso claims that the league have been so stubborn that they have even refused to discuss the main sticking points which concern the rights of players nearing the end of a contract.
Said Grosso: “We are disappointed because we were open to negotiate and to find common ground, but no agreement has been reached.”
Serie A President Maurizio Beretta sees it differently and openly insinuates that the union insulted Abete: “The players´strike is an irresponsible decision and without reason. I am stunned by the AIC´s decision to walk away from the negotiating table while Abete was illustrating the proposal prepared by the FIGC. This is a day without precedence.”
Anyone who needs a quick reminder of what this all about or what effects it will have should check out this handy Q+A.
The main question on every Serie A fan’s mind is whether or not the strike will actually go ahead as planned this time. As this conflict has worn on and on I have found myself increasingly on the side of the players. The conditions that the league has set forth regarding the treatment of players in the final year of contracts (which would allow clubs to withhold players from training or even forcibly transfer them) are simply unacceptable.
While I can’t fully support a strike, because quite frankly, I want to see the games played, if the players are going to do it they have to do it this time. If they still fail to come to terms and postpone yet again they will look like the boy who cried wolf and will only weaken their own position. And if they are really serious about taking such a strong action, why not strike this weekend?
The union appears adamant that the strike will occur but the further delay may be deliberate, as there is still one more chance for a breakthrough. All parties will meet yet again on Wednesday, this time with the Italian Olympic Committee’s High Court.
A strike could cause serious scheduling problems later on in the year and end up hurting Italian clubs in several competitions. Not to mention how much damage this would do to Serie A’s already less than sterling track record.
So that’s the strike news in brief. I and other Serie A fans (are you out there?) can only hope that the league begins to see the light before the stadiums go dark on December 11.
How could he be “stunned” at the players’ union for walking away from negotiations? Isn’t that one of the first things one side in a labor dispute does?
How fast would the Italian Federation get laughed out of the room if they tried to propose this idea in the US to a players union
@Brian – I don’t know, Italians have had their way with more than one union in America already.