Argentine Players' Association (FAA) Secretary Sergio Marchi said after a meeting with Argentine FA execs and government representatives that "with the economic crisis clubs are facing, conditions are not in place for the first division's season to begin the first week of February as scheduled," according to CLARÍN. No agreement "was reached at the meeting and the government's labor department called for another meeting next week." Marchi: "It makes it very difficult to begin with the situation publicly known. Many clubs are in default, the season cannot begin." The meeting was not attended by "execs from top clubs or members of the AFA Normalization Committee" (CLARÍN, 1/3). LOS ANDES reported Newell's Old Boys players "were scheduled to begin the preseason on Wednesday, but decided not to because of delayed salary payments." The players met with club execs in the locker room "and did not accept the payment promises made by club officials." Newell's, which faces a four-month payment delay, "is the second first division club on strike, following Unión de Santa Fe" (LOS ANDES, 1/4).
