World Football Players’ Union to File Complaint Over Transfer System

“Whatever happens, it is a historical moment not only for FIFPro but for professional football”, said Theo van Seggelen, who represents over 65,000 players in 65 countries as FIFPro’s general secretary.

The world footballers’ union FIFPro will lodge a legal complaint at the European Commission (EC) on Friday, arguing that the transfer system is fundamentally flawed and has failed to meet its original targets.

The PFA said it supports the intention behind the action “in general terms”.

FIFPro, the union that represents footballers around the world, has begun a legal battle against Federation Internationale de Football Association against the current state of the transfer system.

But that process broke down acrimoniously in January.

FIFPro pointed out that players’ contracts were being used as financial tools rather than genuine labour contracts.

Their statement said that, while players in the United Kingdom had a “secure and positive environment”, that was not the case everywhere.

The union is proposing that if a player has not been paid by a club for over 30 days they have the right to terminate their contract at 10 days’ notice – as things stand a player must wait at least 90 days.

“Without a transfer system, the best players will still play at the best clubs”, Van Seggelen added.

FIFPro is expected to announce a formal complaint to the European Commission and has called a news conference in Brussels, saying it will be a “major announcement set to impact the professional football industry worldwide”.

Van Seggelen said that, because agents received a commission on transfer fees, there was an incentive for them to move players around as often as possible.

On the other hand, FIFPro says that if a player breaches a contract, he is suspended for four months and must pay compensation based on his market value which could run into several years’ wages.

Van Seggelen said, “I speak with players from all over the world, from Japan to Bolivia”.

“We need not fear football without a transfer system”.

“We think that through collective bargaining, better labour market rules can be established, balanced fairly against the needs of clubs together with an improved model of revenue distribution”. As we all know, a lot of political leaders after [Jean-Marc] Bosman said he was the one who is responsible for failure of the system. The union asserts players have been reduced to commodities, with little contract stability.