London, Aug 7: Newcastle United's players have reportedly gone on strike over media bonuses as they struggle to reach an agreement on with the club owner Mike Ashley.
The Toons' squad during their recent pre-season friendlies against Braga and Augsburg refused to interact with the media. It has also been reported that the entire squad snubbed the chance to appear in front of Premier League's broadcaster Sky Sports' formation graphics.
The shoot had been set up to gather walk up footage to be used when displaying team lineups as part of pre-match broadcasts but despite being contractually obliged to do so the whole choose to ignore the process.
It is believed that the squad are protesting against the bonus payments of this season.
Last season, the squad reportedly agreed to receive £4million if the club stayed in the Premier League and an extra £1m for every spot above 17th. Owner Mike Ashley also reportedly offered them a £20m bonus if they won the FA Cup last season.
Although they crashed out to Chelsea in the fourth round in the FA Cup they managed to remain in the Premier League and even finished 10th in the league surprising everyone.
However, this season, Ashley and managing director Lee Charnley reportedly have not agreed to an incentivised package with the squad for the 2018-19 season plus a huge cup bonus is not believed to be an option.
Newcastle United’s players have withdrawn cooperation with the media as part of a dispute with the club over bonuses for the upcoming season. The players refused to give their time for “walk up” shots for TV companies at the training ground today.
— Keith Downie (@SkySports_Keith) August 6, 2018