Football Deal: Fair Go For Young Players
- April 23rd, 2012
- Posted by EUEditor
Representatives of interest groups in European Football have signed an accord to guarantee the rights of professional players, especially young entrants into the field.
In lands where many youngsters give total concentration to getting a game at professional level, the change brings in an important protection, reducing the chance of future stars signing their lives away too cheaply and soon.
Key points of the agreement:
To ensure that player contracts throughout Europe meet certain minimum standards, contracts must be in writing, they must define the rights and duties of club and player and they must address matters such as salary, health insurance, social security or paid leave. Contracts also must refer to the duty of players to participate in training, to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to comply with disciplinary procedures. Standard contracts will also contain provisions on dispute resolution and applicable law.
Signatories to an agreement to see the new deal, on minimum contract requirements, carried out, were representatives of FIFPro (Trade Union), EPFL (European Professional Football Leagues), ECA (European Clubs Association), and UEAFA, the governing body of European football.
There’s a joint letter in which all organisations pledge to implement these new commitments.
Looking on at the signing, in Brussels (19.4.12), were László Andor, European Union Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, and Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, responsible for Youth and Sport.
Commissioner Andor said: “This is a significant achievement for … the professional football sector. It is a first step in offering minimum social standards regarding the form of players’ contracts … and we expect it to come into force across the European Union, but also beyond in all 53 UEFA countries”.
Signatories were Michel Platini (UEFA, President), Frédéric Thiriez (EPFL, President), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (ECA, President) and Philippe Piat (FIFPro Division Europe, President) and their respective General Secretaries.
Reference
EC, Brussels, “Andor and Platini welcome new agreement on contract rights for footballersâ€, MEMO/12/267, 19.4.12.
Picture UK Club Forrest and European Cup, bbc