The squeeze on super wages risked sending everyone to the locker room. Transalpine football clubs protest against the 75% tax on salaries over one million euros. The strike, initially scheduled for this weekend, has been postponed to a later date. But the problem remains. This is postponement, not cancellation.
On 24 October, the UCPF, the French footballers' union, had called a day of protest to seek negotiations with the government.
In detail, the super tax affects around 120 players from 14 Ligue1 clubs and some from Ligue2. The tax levy, which should be applied within two years with retroactive effect on 2013 and 2014, should bring about 44 million euros into the state coffers.
Now the postponement could still restart the dialogue. The President of the French Republic François Hollande had refused to meet the football stars, but then the Socialist deputy Jean Glavany had specified that the government had no intention of negotiating the principle of the tax, but had evoked the possibility of "a round table municipality” to resolve the issue.
