Argentina captain Javier Mascherano is another prime example of what a bunch of babies and prima donnas some football players are.  Mascherano is refusing to play for his club team, Liverpool, because he wants to head over to Spain and play for Barcelona.

It’s believed the Spanish team has put in a bid for him at somewhere between 15 and 20 million euros and has also offered former Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb and defender Martin Caceres of Uruguay in return.

However, new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has turned it down as of now. Liverpool needs the money though, so it could happen sometime soon. What they likely don’t need though are two more players as that means they’d have to drop two from their 25-man roster.

The problem here is the way the player’s going about things as he’s basically gone on strike. Mascherano was also conveniently injured in Liverpool’s Europa League tie against Trabzonspor, making sure he doesn’t become cup tied.

If Liverpool didn’t need the money so badly, Mascherano should be taught a lesson and left off of the 25-man squad on Sept. 1 and be sent to the reserves. This means he’d be stuck down there until the next transfer window opens in January. He should also be fined along with not being paid any wages until he starts playing.

Mascherano hasn’t gone on strike for more money though, he’s refusing to suit up for the English team basically because he wants to play for Barcelona. Well, then why did he sign a contract with Liverpool that ties him there until 2012. For some reason football players all over the world feel they have the right to choose who they play for and break their signed contracts.

Players are abusing the system as they often sign long-term contracts for the security and money it provides them with and then decide they want to play elsewhere as soon as a better offer comes along. These days, contracts aren’t worth the paper they’re written on and that’s just not right.

This abuse of contracts allows teams such as Barcelona and Real Madrid to basically pick the players they want and then see how many of them are willing to leave their current clubs, even though they’re under contract. This means the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Something needs to be done about this tactic of holding a team ransom so you can get you own way. Clubs should now start placing buyout clauses in all players’ contracts as a way to protect themselves from the poachers and ungrateful players.