Troubled Racing resume training after four-day strike

Players at trouble-hit Racing Club, one of Argentina's biggest and most fanatically supported clubs, have gone back to training after ending a four-day stoppage over late payment of wages.

The strike, which was brought to an end on Tuesday, forced the club to call off plans for a training camp in the resort of Mar del Plata and to pull out of a four-team pre-season tournament.

"Our preparations have probably got as far as 25 per cent to 30 per cent of the other teams," coach Juan Manuel Llop told reporters.

"We have got to try and speed things up so that we can start the championship in the best possible condition."

Racing narrowly avoided relegation to the second division by winning a promotion-relegation play-off at the end of last month.

Although their fans and players celebrated as if Racing had won a major championship, their problems were far from over.

A civil judge subsequently ordered an intervention into Blanquiceleste SA, the private company which had managed the club since 2001, and administrators say they found the finances in chaos with players owed several months wages.

Last week, the players went on strike after rejecting the administrators' proposal for paying their wages.

A settlement was eventually reached on Tuesday when the administrators agreed to deposit 1.5 million pesos ($496,358) immediately and pay off the remainder in five instalments of 400,000 pesos each.

Commentators say the club remains in desperate need of reinforcements for the new season which starts August 8.