COVID-19: Djourou, Song among 9 FC Sion players sacked ‘for not taking pay cut’

Johan Djourou and Alexandre Song, former Arsenal duo, were among 9 players sacked by FC Sion, their Swiss premier league club, after the league halted indefinitely due to coronavirus crisis.

The club confirmed the termination of their contract in a statement issued on Thursday on its website.

“FC Sion confirms having terminated with immediate effect the contract of the following nine players: Ermir Lenjani, Xavier Kouassi, Mickaël Facchinetti, Birama Ndoye, Johan Djourou, Pajtim Kasami, Seydou Doumbia, Christian Zock and Alexandre Song,” it wrote.

According to BBC, the players were laid off for refusing to sign an agreement for a wage cut during the coronavirus crisis.

The four affected African players had featured in at least 10 games each this season with Doumbia scoring five goals for the mid-table Swiss club.

The Swiss league was suspended indefinitely on March 1, after the government had placed a ban on gatherings of more than 1000 people.

The club is currently eighth in the 10-team league, four points clear of the relegation zone, with 13 games left to play.

Switzerland currently has 4,176 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 43 deaths.