Soccer-Argentina player strike call overshadows AFA meeting
25/02/2017 01:13
By Rex Gowar
BUENOS AIRES, Feb 24 (Reuters) - A strike called by
Argentine soccer players over unpaid wages overshadowed Friday's
meeting of the country's Football Association (AFA), which was
aimed at paving the way for the resumption of the league
championships.
While AFA delegates debated constitutional issues, including
the vetting of candidates for a presidential election which was
set for March 29, players' union (FAA) boss Sergio Marchi issued
a statement saying members would strike over unpaid salaries.
The union's announcement threw into doubt next month's
resumption of league matches, which have been on hold because of
financial problems since Feb. 5 when Argentina's summer break
was originally due to end.
"The Argentine Footballers' Union (FAA) considers conditions
are not right to begin the second part of the tournaments
organised by AFA and which had been scheduled for (March 3) in
the case of the first division," Marchi said in a statement.
"So we announce that the players will withhold their work
and not take part in official matches ... since they are owed
salaries that in some cases go back four months."
The AFA coffers were bare owing to protracted negotiations
over a payout from the Argentine government, which wanted to
rescind the contract the previous administration had signed with
the AFA in 2009 to broadcast matches free under the Futbol para
Todos (football for all) programme.
Friday's meeting voted to accept the government's offer of
390 million Argentine pesos ($25.21 million), which will be
divided among the clubs.
The government payout will not be available immediately and
would in any case only partially meet the clubs' debts, but the
AFA is on the verge of signing off broadcasting rights to a
major international company.
The vote for which of three companies - Fox/Turner, ESPN and
MediaPro - will be granted the rights to Argentine first
division games from next season has been postponed for a week
over technicalities.
The AFA has been run in a caretaker capacity since June by a
so-called FIFA Normalisation Committee following a botched
election at the end of 2015 called to find a successor to its
late president Julio Grondona, who died in 2014 after 35 years
at the helm.
Boca Juniors were top of the league standings at the halfway
stage of the championship, which went into a summer recess
before Christmas.
Teams have been playing friendlies against each other to
maintain fitness and players at lower division clubs have done
odd jobs to earn money.
($1 = 15.4700 Argentine pesos)
(Editing by Ken Ferris and Nick Mulvenney)
((rex.gowar@thomsonreuters.com; 0044 7905 733628; Reuters
Messaging: rex.gowar.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net.))
Keywords: SOCCER ARGENTINA/