Football Notes: Fiat Calls Strike Over Ronaldo A 'Total Flop'

A Fiat spokesperson said that "only" five out of around 1,700 workers expected for Monday's shift at Fiat Chrysler's Melfi plant in Italy "participated in a strike called by the small and independent union." Unione Sindicale di Base was protesting over the €100M ($117M) spent by Juventus to sign Cristiano Ronaldo. The Agnelli family owns 29.1% of Fiat as well as 63.77% of the Serie A club. The spokesperson said, "The protest actions promoted in recent days over soccer were a resounding flop" (ESPN.com, 7/16).

England U19s will begin the defense of the team's European title in Finland this week "without a number of star players." FA Technical Dir Dan Ashworth criticized the timing of the tournament, which "clashes with clubs' pre-season tours." Man City's Phil Foden, Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho and EPL side Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon are among those absent (BBC, 7/16).