Five footballers who have gone on strike

Saido Berahino said he won't play for West Bromwich Albion under chairman Jeremy Peace, but he's not the first footballer to take industrial action.

Carlos Tevez Manchester City

Carlos Tevez famously refused to come on as a substitute in a Champions League match for Manchester City (Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

As is the modern way, Berahino took to Twitter to announce his intention to down tools/boots, after the club blocked his move to Tottenham Hotspur.

It sparked , but the bottom line is, Berahino is still a Baggie.

However, the recent history of football rebels suggests Berahino will soon be left with little option but to pull on the black and white striped shirt again soon, and hope for a move down the track.

Peter Odemwingie

What is it with West Bromwich Albion and upsetting its wantaway strikers?

Odemwingie became the unwitting face of transfer window madness in a chain of events which began when he was refused a transfer request, like Berahino, in January 2013.

After launching a tirade of abuse towards the club on Twitter, like Berahino, Odemwingie travelled to Queens Park Rangers in a lone and ultimately futile bid to force a deadline day transfer.

Despite a subsequent apology, Odemwingie's return to The Hawthorns was not exactly greeted with open arms.

George Eastham

The game's industrial action pioneer, Eastham went on strike after being refused permission to leave Newcastle United in 1959, despite the imminent expiration of his contract.

After two months working for a relative selling cork in Guildford, Newcastle gave in and allowed Eastham to sign for Arsenal.

Eastham subsequently won a High Court case against Newcastle which is widely credited with transforming the transfer system.

Eastham went on to become an Arsenal legend, was in England's 1966 FIFA World Cup squad which won the tournament on home soil, and he scored the winner for Stoke City in the 1972 League Cup final, at the age of 35.

Carlos Tevez

The combustible Argentina star sparked a furore for refusing to warm up during Manchester City's UEFA Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.

Tevez was suspended by City, with boss Roberto Mancini intimating he would never play for the club again.

After an extended spell of leave, and having failed to secure a transfer, Tevez was allowed to resume training with the club after a five-month break.

When Graeme Souness is firstly lost for words, and then finds "he's a disgrace to football" as his chosen phrase, you're in trouble.

Paul Scholes

The quietly-spoken Scholes made an unlikely rebel when he refused to play a League Cup match under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2001.

Scholes was reportedly furious at being named in what was otherwise a "shadow" side for the third-round clash against Arsenal.

But he was not as angry as Ferguson, who gave Scholes a severe dressing-down and fined him the maximum two weeks' wages.

Scholes subsequently apologised and played for another 10 years at Old Trafford before his first retirement. Could score a decent goal though, and when all Martin Tyler can say is "How!", the legendary commentator knew it was time to sit back and let the pictures do the talking.

Pierre Van Hooijdonk

The Netherlands striker returned from the 1998 FIFA World Cup to find his transfer request from Nottingham Forest had been refused.

Van Hoojidonk declared he had no option but to go on strike, and sat out the first four months of the new season.

Eventually, Van Hooijdonk made a grudging return, notable for his goal against local rival Derby County, after which his team-mates refused to celebrate with him.

He eventually moved to Vitesse, Benfica, Feyenoord, Fenerbache, NAC Breda, and then back to Feyenoord, in a journeyman career which, remarkably, brought goals wherever he went.

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4 min read
Published 3 September 2015 12:54am
Updated 3 September 2015 8:17am
Source: PA Sport

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