Swiss football players dismissed after coronavirus package fallout
Nine FC Sion football players have been dismissed after refusing to agree to a partial employment proposal in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
FC Sion, a team in the top tier of the Swiss Football League, has terminated the contracts of nine players without notice after they refused to accept the terms of their reduced pay package due to the interruption of the championship due to coronavirus. The package entitles players to 80% of their monthly salary up to a ceiling of CHF12,500 ($12,673).
The nine dismissed include Pajtim Kasami, Alex Song, Ermir Lenjani, Xavier Kouassi, Seydou Doumbia, Mickaël Facchinetti, Christian Zock, Birama Ndoye and Johan Djourou. Seven of the nine have fixed term contracts that expire in June. The players will have to leave the team, which means FC Sion will have to end the season with a very small squad if the Swiss Super League resumes. As everywhere in Europe, the Swiss first and second division championships have been suspended due to the coronavirus crisis.
After 23 league games, FC Sion is in eighth place (out of ten) in the standings, just four points clear of the relegation zone.
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.