{"id":8310,"date":"2017-03-04T09:05:37","date_gmt":"2017-03-04T09:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/english\/argentina-football-matches-cancelled-as-players-go-on-strike\/"},"modified":"2017-03-04T09:05:37","modified_gmt":"2017-03-04T09:05:37","slug":"argentina-football-matches-cancelled-as-players-go-on-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freeonlinetranslators.net\/news\/english\/argentina-football-matches-cancelled-as-players-go-on-strike\/","title":{"rendered":"Argentina: Football matches cancelled as players go on strike"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"RiverImage copyright AP
Image caption Argentine football fans have been without league matches for over two months <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Argentine Football Association has postponed two top division matches that were due to take place on Friday following the collapse of negotiations to call off a players' strike. <\/p>\n

Many clubs are facing a major financial crisis and have not paid salaries for several months. <\/p>\n

The footballers' union says the strike will go on until the players received what they are owed.<\/p>\n

The strike involves players of more than 200 Argentine clubs.<\/p>\n

The two matches postponed were Rosario Central v Godoy Cruz, in the city of Rosario, and San Lorenzo v Belgrano, in Buenos Aires.<\/p>\n

The crisis began after senior officials at the Football Association (AFA) were implicated in a corruption scandal involving television broadcasting rights. <\/p>\n

Image copyright AFP
Image caption Acting Football Association Armando Perez says clubs who refuse to play will face sanctions <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The season should have resumed a month ago after the summer recess.<\/p>\n

But the crisis led the AFA to delay the start until this Friday.<\/p>\n

To try to avoid the strike, the government of Mauricio Macri made a $22m (\u00a318m) payment on Thursday to the Argentine Football Association.<\/p>\n

The money was owed as compensation for the cancellation of a contract with the government, which held the broadcasting rights until this year.<\/p>\n

But the players' union says the money is not enough.<\/p>\n

They said most club presidents had spent and borrowed more money than they should have.<\/p>\n

Image copyright AP
Image caption The AFA's former head, Luis Segura, stood down after he was charged with fraud in June 2016 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The death in 2014 of Julio Grondona, who was president of the Argentine Football Association for 35 years, triggered the crisis.<\/p>\n

He was also vice-president of Fifa, the world football's governing body.<\/p>\n

The United States authorities who investigated corruption at Fifa labelled Mr Grondona "the number one conspirator". <\/p>\n

But analysts in Argentina say he guaranteed the functionality of Argentine football.<\/p>\n

Many believe, however, that his absence will allow a perhaps tortuous but necessary clean-up of the game, says the BBC's Daniel Pardo in Buenos Aires.<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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