40 days
(published in the daily newspaper Sport)
The clumsy, unsigned letter from the footballers of MFK Koice prompted a response in Saturday’s edition from the club president, who vaguely admitted to a debt owed to the players. This unusual outcry once again drew attention to the issue of unpaid wages in professional football. It’s not an isolated case. Several clubs in both top divisions are facing similar problems. It’s serious when even basic salaries of €400 go unpaid. You can’t live off love for football. The rotten intention of not paying players from the very beginning and manipulating contracts up and down, as has also happened here, is more the exception. More often, the reasons are pragmatic: a lost advertising partner, a failed promising transfer. There are dozens of explanations, but few are justifiable.
Many similar cases have occurred in other team sports as well, such as ice hockey. Even “better families” have debts to players. Clubs in southern Europe, including Spanish ones, are repeat offenders; now, Italian side Parma is collapsing. So what’s the solution?
Almost always, there’s a lack of strong regulation by the governing bodies. A bit more pressure is needed. In the process of granting clubs licenses for a new season, it’s not enough to check off nice-looking paperwork; the hard work must be done—properly analyzing the documentation and making fair decisions. And if current standards are inadequate and don’t prevent debt accumulation, they need to be changed by summer. The outcome must be clear: clubs that chronically fail to pay basic wages must not be allowed into the top two leagues! And when problems arise, we need the tough English approach, not the Italian one. The football conference is just a few days away, and it should certainly provide space for this discussion.
What’s missing is a clear employment status for players in team sports. Under certain circumstances, non-payment of wages is a criminal offense.
What’s also lacking is a functioning players’ association. The one that currently exists hasn’t managed to join international structures in several years. Its relevant voice hasn’t been heard and still isn’t. The time has come to rebuild it. The author of this article assisted in founding the first such association in autumn 2003. It started from the top, through team captains. Back then, true player leaders like Miro Hýll and Martin Poljovka took initiative, but after six months of fruitless effort, the project ended. Which personalities will take up the baton today? Are there any at all?
FIFA is aware of the global problem of unpaid wages. It has taken a tougher stance. It amended the international transfer regulations with Article 12bis, effective worldwide as of March 1, 2015. Any club can be punished if it fails to pay a player or another club 30 days after the due date. A simple notification from the player triggers a further 10-day grace period.
