The English Premier League remains one of the most attractive competitions for professional footballers in terms of the quality of football, the money on offer, the fans and the profile for players who compete in it.
We are used to seeing foreign players in England (around two-thirds of the Premier League players are from abroad), but we are increasingly seeing players from the UK ply their trade in foreign leagues. Sometimes they move to more familiar football territories such as Spain, Germany, Holland and Italy; other moves take them further afield, to places like the USA, China, Australia and Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The world of international football transfers is ever-changing. More recently, developing football nations have been using their financial muscle to sign well known \u2018stars\u2019 to boost their own domestic competitions, such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, India, Indonesia, and Thailand. Players and their agents can earn sizeable salaries and fees in these countries, meaning players are often willing to give up a more competitive level of football for an enticing payday \u2013 particularly towards the end of their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Of course, it is fantastic to see a truly global transfer market emerge. It offers opportunities to players of different levels the ability to earn well and experience a new culture. But, what are the risks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Players in England are fortunate to work in a country where the employment laws provide them with good protection, the legal system is fairly robust, medical treatment is of the highest level and you can be reasonably confident that you\u2019ll be paid (on time) whatever is set out in your contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The same cannot be said of employment contracts in many developing countries. There may be issues of systematic late payment; your contract might be terminated for no good reason; you might be sidelined without explanation in the hope you\u2019ll walk away from the club if they decide you\u2019re not worth the money they\u2019ve committed to pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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It\u2019s true that FIFA is there to try and ensure the stability of player contracts. What this means in practice is that where a player has terminated their contract with a club for \u2018just cause\u2019 (a good legal reason), you can put in a claim to FIFA. FIFA will hopefully order the club to pay you the money due under the contract. If they do, the club will be given a deadline to pay, and if they don\u2019t, FIFA can impose sanctions such as warnings or point deductions on the club. It can be an effective means of getting paid but it can also be very slow \u2013 you might have to wait a year or more for payment; longer if the club appeals any FIFA decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Nevertheless, the FIFA route only works if your contract is solid in the first place. It won\u2019t \u2018fix\u2019 a weak contract that allows the club to terminate for minor reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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There are all the normal contractual points to think about \u2013 and ideally with the benefit of legal advice. However, there are also issues specific to deals in developing football jurisdictions that a player and agent should have in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lastly, it is common to be put under pressure to sign a deal quickly, whether by the club, an agent, or even a player who fears losing out. But never let that stop you from taking time out to get advice. Whatever timeframe you have is the time we will work in. It\u2019s no overstatement to say we have saved or secured millions of pounds for players whose contracts would otherwise have left them in a vulnerable position. When you\u2019re next involved in a potential move, get in touch. We\u2019ll be delighted to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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