Strike ends after players and league bury hatchet

Lily

B.R
Staff member
Milan: Italy's football strike effectively ended yesterday when Serie A and the Italian Players' Union (AIC) buried their differences and signed a collective contract.

"A new collective contract, valid until the end of June 2012, has been signed today," the Italian soccer federation (FIGC) said in a statement.

The FIGC said the contract was signed in the presence of its president Giancarlo Abete, Serie A president Maurizio Beretta and AIC president Damiano Tommasi.

"The signing followed a meeting in which the legal representatives of the two parties ironed out the final details," added the statement.

The announcement means that Serie A can start on Friday with the meeting of defending champions AC Milan and Lazio.

The announcement had been widely expected after the League said last Thursday it was prepared to renegotiate several terms of the contract.

Negotiations

The previous agreement expired at the end of the 2009/10 season and negotiations for its renewal dragged on for the whole of last season.

The AIC said it believed an agreement had been reached in December, when a strike was called off at the last moment, but the Serie A did not sign.

The AIC ran out of patience last month, saying the season could not start until the signing took place.
 
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