The Sunday Mail
PLAYERS at Parma are refusing to play today’s scheduled Serie A match at Genoa ahead of a league meeting which will decide whether the cash-strapped club can finish the season.
Serie A bosses are due to decide Parma’s fate on March 6 and the players do not want to play until that meeting has taken place.
“We are not going to Genoa, we have asked for the match to be postponed and if that request is not granted we are prepared to go on strike, which would mean the match being registered as a 3-0 defeat,” said Parma captain Alessandro Lucarelli after a players’ meeting on Friday.
Parma were unable to complete their last fixture in the top flight, at home to Udinese, because they could not raise the small amount of cash required to pay stewards.
They have since found a sponsor to help with operating costs, so there is no financial barrier to the squad making the short trip to Genoa.
A bankruptcy hearing is due to decide whether Parma can continue operating. If it rules no, Parma will not complete their remaining fixtures.
The club is said to be €100 million in debt with some €17 million owed to the tax authorities.
Serie A has already docked the squad a penalty point as result of delays in meeting players salaries.
The league is considering a rescue plan under which it would reportedly put up around five million euros to ensure Parma can get to the end of the season, thus avoiding compromising the league title and relegation races.
If the club is declared bankrupt, previous results will stand but all remaining matches will be recorded as a 3-0 win for the opposition. — AFP.
