CAGLIARI, ITALY – JANUARY 20: Valter Birsa of Cagliari in action during the Serie A match between Cagliari and Empoli at Sardegna Arena on January 20, 2019 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Valter Birsa

Cagliari is the capital of Sardinia, an Italian island west of mainland Italy. The island is currently undergoing a protest by local farmers about how they are going broke due to low milk prices. Prices are so low that farmers are losing money to produce milk for the townspeople so they are protesting by pouring that milk in the streets and blocking traffic.

Another form of protest these farmers have taken up has been blocking the exits of Serie A team Cagliari Calcio. Cagliari is the lone Serie A team on the island and players were supposed to travel to face AC Milan Sunday. Local farmers weren’t having that, and seeing an opportunity to get some mainstream press, around 100 farmers blocked all the exits and kept the team locked in the team facility.

Farmers wanted Cagliari’s match against AC Milan to be abandoned but team officials talked to the farmers to negotiate a truce and for them to get out of their facility and travel to Milan, even though they missed their original flight. The players were let out once players Nicolo Barella, Alessandro Deiola and Joao Pedro were shown to join in on the protest by kicking over milk jugs outside the facility.

https://twitter.com/maurocossu90/status/1094236450953007105

Cagliari has been in Serie A since the 2016-17 season and is currently 15th, four points above relegation. They’ll be late, but it appears they will be in Milan for Sunday’s game and the local farmers got a Serie A team to support their movement, albeit by a bit of coercion since they needed to get to their game.

[Football Italia/Photo: Getty Images]

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them.

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