Italian soccer players, afraid of losing their...

Italian soccer players, afraid of losing their jobs to a growing number of high-paid foreigners, called an unprecedented strike that will force the cancellation of all major league and second-division matches Sunday.

The decision to halt Italian soccer and the related multimillion-dollar weekly national pools was taken by the players association following a two-hour meeting in Milan.

The association called the strike after the Italian Soccer Federation rejected a “package” of demands, including opposition to a plan to employ foreign players in the second division beginning in 1990.

The association, which represents all Italian professional soccer players, also unsuccessfully opposed a recent federation decision to allow each major league team next season to field a third foreign player.