Inter’s Sneijder still out in cold

Dutch international star Wesley Sneijder is out of the squad to face Napoli on Sunday amid an ongoing contract dispute.

Sneijder had already been out for three weeks through injury but is sidelined as the club and his representatives have yet to thrash out an agreement on a contract extension coupled with a drop in salary.

Sneijder last played for Inter on September 26 against Chievo.

Earlier in the week, Inter Milan coach Andrea Stramaccioni said the club would be meeting Sneijder’s entourage having left the player out of his squad for last week’s win over Palermo – beforehand Stramaccioni indicated the player was available for selection.

A week before that Inter announced 28-year-old Sneijder would not play for the club again until he agreed to new terms, a move which angered the professional footballers’ trade union, FIFPro, which said it would be appealing to UEFA and FIFA.

FIFPro said Inter were requiring Sneijder to extend his contract by a year until 2016 – but for the same total salary – “in other words, to work a year longer without receiving any salary for it.”

“In these conditions, I have absolutely no reason to sign,” the 2010 Champions League winner said in a statement reported by la Gazzetta dello sport last Monday.

Sneijder did not train with the squad on Friday and the reason given was because he had a leg muscle problem, however, his wife, Yolanthe Cabau wrote on Twitter: “He’s not injured! Wesley is just fine.”

Stramaccioni was visibly angered during Saturday’s news conference when reporters asked him why the club said the Dutch international was injured.

“The only thing that matters to me, is what the player says to my face, and as for everything else, including Twitter, I really couldn’t give a damn,” he said.

On Saturday in Serie A, Atalanta play Parma while Fiorentina are at Roma.  

The majority of matches are on Sunday with leaders Juventus facing Palermo. Napoli could jump to the top of the table if Juve lose and they defeat Inter.