Trabzonspor terminates unpaid foreign imports

The political in-fighting at Turkish BSL club Trabzonspor took a new twist this weekend as all foreign imports on the roster left the team.

Such a scenario had been brewing since the import players had gone on strike for round 25 of the BSL against Eskisehir. The group had not been paid by the club for the last two months and it emerged this weekend all players had cancelled their contracts.

However, Trabzonspor released a statement saying it was in fact the club that had terminated the players, and not the other way around. Osiris Eldridge, Sarunas Vasiliauskas, Brady Heslip, Caleb Green, Chris Obekpa, Paul Harris are the players who refused to play and have now left the organization.

In its press release, Trabzonspor said it decided to remove the players as they were pressuring management and using strike action to get paid. It raises an interesting question, players are entitled to pay, so how far should they take it when a club does not meet the contract?

What is clear is the club has not solved its financial problems by terminating the players and must now either replace them or finish the season with no foreign imports and less players on the roster.