Rome: Italy looked almost certain to face a players' strike after last-minute talks on Thursday, 48 hours ahead of the scheduled start of the Serie A season, failed to reach an agreement between the players and the clubs.
Serie A president Maurizio Beretta said the clubs had rejected a proposal from the Italian FA, which has tried to mediate the dispute, aimed at ending a dispute over players' rights.
"The proposal.....does not make Serie A change its position, we hope that the Italian Players Union (AIC) calls off the strike and accepts our proposal in its integrity," Beretta said in a statement on the league's web site (legaseriea.it).
The AIC has already said there will be no matches if a new agreement is not signed by the clubs.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, August 25, 2011, 22:46