Colombia's Pereira strike over unpaid salaries
Reuters - Saturday 04 September 2010, 15:38
BOGOTA - Deportivo Pereira have joined in
the spate of strikes by Colombian players looking to put
pressure on their first division clubs over unpaid salaries.
The Pereira squad signed a letter threatening not to turn
out for their home match on Sunday against Cortulua because the
club is three and a half months behind with salary payments.
"The money they promised has not appeared so we won't play
against Cortulua," team captain Gustavo Victoria told reporters
on Friday.
"This situation hurts us a lot but the directors always tell
us they'll pay us the next week and they've had us like that for
some time," team mate Jhon Viafara added.
Club president Mario Arboleda told local media that if the
strike went ahead Pereira would forfeit the points and be
sanctioned with a fine. He ruled out fielding an amateur junior
side.
Pereira are one from bottom of the Clausura championship
with two points from six matches.
Earlier this week, 19 players of Once Caldas ended a two-day
strike when their club, South American champions in 2004, agreed
to a plan of gradual payment of unpaid salaries.
A strike threat by players of America, one of Colombia's
biggest and most successful clubs, met with partial success when
they received part of their unpaid salaries but coach Jorge
Bermudez, a former Colombia defender, was sacked for backing
them.
Caldas and America are also in the bottom half of the
Clausura standings.
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