Ex-Arsenal star Djourou confirms he takes FC Sion to court after being sacked

Former Arsenal centre-back Johan Djourou has confirmed he has taken FC Sion to court after the Swiss club sacked him and eight of his team-mates for refusing to take a pay cut.

The Swiss Super League side fired Djourou and eight other players, including another ex-Arsenal player Alex Song, after they either failed to respond to a WhatsApp message to the squad from club president Christian Constantin or refusing his offer.

Constantin wanted the Sion players to take a 'technical unemployment' deal which would see them receive a reduced payment of around €12,000 (£10,750) to help the club deal with economic difficulties caused by the league season being halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But after being axed last month, Djourou has stated he is now claiming compensation for mental suffering and damage to his reputation at a Swiss court.

'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,' Djourou told Swiss outlet Le Nouvelliste.

'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.'

As well as former Arsenal pair Song and Djourou, the other players let go by Sion were Christian Zock, Pajtim Kasami, Ermir Lenjani, Xavier Kouassi, Birama Ndoye, Mikael Facchinetti and Seydou Doumbia.

They have the backing of the Swiss Players' Union, the SAFP, which has protested their dismissals and described them as unfair.

Djourou - who has 75 caps for Switzerland's national team - joined Sion as a free agent in January and managed just two games for them before he was sacked.

The defender made 140 appearances for Arsenal during his ten-year spell in north London before leaving permanently in 2014 for Bundesliga side Hamburg.