Players to delay all Serie A kick-offs at the weekend

All Serie A matches this Sunday will have a 15 minute delayed kick off to raise awareness of the situation at crisis-club Parma.

The Gialloblu currently sit bottom in the Italian top flight are in serious financial turmiol and have not paid players’ wages since the summer, with some having already terminated their contracts with the Gialloblu and the club postponing a league fixture against Udinese because they didn’t have enough money to open the stadium.

“In light of the serious situation at Parma FC, the Associazione Italiana Calciatori, in agreement with all the players in the top flight, has decided that in the next round of Serie A, including the early and late fixtures, the teams will take to the field following a 15 minute delay,” a statement from the AIC, the Italian Footballers’ Association, said.

“The aim is to raise the awareness of the Federation, the League, the rest of the football world and the public on the current situation at Parma.

“It is clear that we need to think about the economic and financial stability of the club in order to avoid any similar situation in the future.”