Ex-Arsenal star Djourou takes FC Sion to court after they sack him and EIGHT other players for not taking pay cut
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FORMER centre-back Johan Djourou has taken Swiss club FC Sion to court - after they sacked him for not taking a pay cut.
The Super League outfit axed nine players last month, claiming they had to cut costs after coronavirus halted their season.
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Controversial Sion chairman Christian Constantin presented his squad with forms asking them if they were prepared to accept pay cuts.
He insisted: “We have all been deprived of our incomes.
“We at the club have been forbidden from offering the players their chance to perform, and they have been forbidden from producing their work.”
Many failed to return forms inside a 24-hour deadline confirming they accepted the cuts.
SION-ARA
Djourou, 33, is now claiming compensation for mental suffering and damages to his reputation at a Swiss court.
He said: "I've not pressed charges so I can get money, or return to the team. My aim is to right the wrongs of this matter in court.
"My team-mates and I are not mercenaries driven by money, as some people were quick to claim after we were sacked.
"If the court finds in my favour, I will donate the money I'm awarded to charity.
"An employer cannot exploit a situation like this to impose conditions in under 24 hours."
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Djourou - who represented Switzerland's national team on 75 occasions - joined Sion as a free agent in January.
The defender made 140 appearances for Arsenal during his ten-year spell with Arsenal in 2014 before leaving permanently.
Elsewhere, Premier League captains have created a Players Together fund to give £4million to the NHS.