Strike In Serie A Now Likely To Be Called Off After Tuesday Talks

SB Nation Soccer reported just last week that players in Italy’s Serie A were due to strike this coming weekend of 11 and 12 December as talks broke down between the league and the Italian Players Association (AIC) over a new collective bargaining contract.

While 18 of Serie A’s 20 teams were due to miss this weekend’s fixtures because of the planned strike, recent reports now suggest that the planned matches should go forward after emergency talks took place late into the night on Tuesday.

Those last-ditch meetings were comprised of three very important figures the likes of AIC President Sergio Campania, Serie A President Maurizio Beretta and Italian Football Federation chief Giancarlo Abete who is serving as a moderator between the AIC and Serie A.

As reported by the Irish Examiner, Beretta, upon leaving the seven hour meeting stated:

”We are one step away from reaching an agreement for the new collective contract. It has been a very positive meeting and I think it’s very likely that the strike will be called off. Finally, we have tackled the issues and we are in agreement on six points.
The seventh point, that in relation to players out of squad, we are still trying to find a solution that does not give way to discrimination and that also previews punishments in case it is violated.”

While it was Serie A’s 16th match-day that was in question this weekend, AC Milan still lead the league after 15 weeks played. Champions from the last five years and treble winners last time out Inter Milan continue to struggle with form both domestically and in European competition.

Currently fifth in Serie A and ten points behind league leaders AC Milan, Inter Milan were beaten on Tuesday in Champions League play 3-0 away to Werder Bremen, but have already qualified for the competition’s knockout stages.