Italian players vote for Serie A strike this month

Serie A clubs were left stunned yesterday by the announcement that the players in Italy's top flight will go on strike on the weekend of 25-26 September.

The declaration was made by AC Milan captain Massimo Oddo on behalf of the Italian Players' Association (AIC), in response to the Lega Calcio's position on collective contract renewal.

The statement read: "The AIC, in complete agreement with all the Serie A clubs, have decided that these teams will not go out on the pitch for the fifth round of games of Serie A in order to oppose the (Lega Calcio's) request for the introduction of a new contractual regime."

Oddo said the decision had been considered for some time. "This decision comes from way back after we did not receive any response to our attempts to come to an agreement with the Lega," he said.

Serie A football has not been halted in this way since a players' strike that started on 17 March, 1996, in protest against several issues including the Bosman ruling.

The main area of disagreement deals with what the players perceive as a lack of protection when clubs try to force them into a transfer when they enter the final year of their contracts. Other controversial issues include flexible contracts - players having to accept less in their basic salary but looking to top it up if the team reach pre-defined targets.