5 disputes which have rocked sport

Denmark are set to field an uncapped scratch side consisting of third-tier and futsal players against Slovakia.

Denmark’s preparations for their UEFA Nations League opener against Wales in Aarhus on Sunday are in chaos following a dispute between the Danish Football Association and their Players’ Association over commercial rights.

The Danes are set to field an uncapped scratch side consisting of third-tier and futsal players, the latter being an indoor five-a-side game played with a harder and smaller ball. Here, Press Association Sport looks at some sporting disputes of the past.

ENGLISH SOCCER MAXIMUM WAGE DISPUTE (1960-61)

Soccer Court/Jimmy Hill — Jimmy Hill was heavily involved in the professional footballers’ maximum wage dispute of 1960 and 1961 (John Giles/PA Wire)

The Professional Footballers’ Association, led by Jimmy Hill, wanted an abolition of the maximum £20 per week player wage. After talks involving various groups, the Football League proposed a gradual increase to £30 over a five-year period. That was rejected, before a later revised proposal was emphatically turned down by players. Strike action was called to take place on January 21, 1961, but it was scrapped three days before after an agreement was reached on the maximum wage being immediately abolished.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL STRIKE (1994-95)

Baseball – Yankee Stadium General Views — Major League Baseball was rocked by a strike in 1994-95 (Andy Hampson/PA Wire)

The strike began on August 12, 1994 and resulted in the rest of that season being aborted, which included the World Series not taking place for the first time in 90 years. The strike ended eight months later with hundreds of regular-season and pre-season games being cancelled. The complex player salary cap-related dispute was seen as highly damaging for the sport, and fans made their displeasure known through protests and not attending games.

ESTONIA v SCOTLAND (1996)

Soccer – Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League – Motherwell v Hibernian – Fir Park — Craig Brown, who was Scotland manager in 1996 (Lynne Cameron/PA Wire)

Remembered as the “one team in Tallinn” affair, Scotland’s World Cup qualifier against Estonia was abandoned after just three seconds. The Estonia team did not turn up at the Kadrioru Stadium after inadequate floodlights meant the game was brought forward by almost four hours. Scotland, who were managed by Craig Brown, expected to gain a walkover victory when Estonia did not appear , but the match was ordered to be replayed – on neutral territory in Monaco the following February – and ended in a 0-0 draw.

ENGLAND RUGBY UNION PLAYERS’ DISPUTE (2000)

Rugby Union executive Baron — Francis Baron, who was chief executive of the Rugby Football Union in 2000 (Tim Ockenden/PA Wire)

A dispute between England’s international players and the Rugby Football Union over Test match fees flared four days before England faced Argentina in an autumn international at Twickenham. Martin Johnson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Matt Dawson were the players’ representatives, with England boss Clive Woodward issuing an ultimatum that his players should return to training by the following morning or he would pick an alternative team. Action was subsequently called off, and England took on the Pumas, winning 19-0.

SCOTTISH SOCCER REFEREES’ STRIKE (2010)

Soccer – Clydesdale Bank Scottish Premier League – Rangers v Motherwell – Ibrox Stadium — Scottish referees went on strike in 2010 (Andrew Milligan?PA Wire)

Top referees in Scotland withdrew their services in a dispute between the Scottish Senior Football Referees’ Association and Scottish Football Association. Referees felt that the SFA were not doing enough to protect them from what was seen as unfair criticism and questioning of their integrity by some clubs. Only four games, due to a combination of strike action and poor weather, went ahead on a league weekend in November, with replacement officials drafted in from Israel, Luxembourg and Malta.