The players' union: clubs now have a rival

A year ago, the Union of Football Professionals was established. It has already handled 10 cases involving alleged contract breaches.

Unpaid wages, unjustified demotions of players from the first team, or the reduction of bonuses in case of injury – these are the most common violations by Slovak clubs against footballers. In the past, players often hesitated to confront their employers over such issues, but since last year, standing up for their rights has become easier. That’s when the Union of Football Professionals was founded – a civic association that protects the rights of players in Slovakia’s top two leagues.

Its president is former Slovak national team goalkeeper and current Slovan Bratislava number one, Ján Mucha. The union has been in existence for just under a year and has already assisted in ten disputes between players and clubs. "We would be happiest if cases like these didn’t happen at all. But football can’t be played without us, and we have our rights," Mucha told the Economic Daily.

Help Sought by a Player from Bosnia
One of the latest cases involved Bosnian player Nermin Haskić and the current league leader MŠK Žilina. The club removed him from the squad without providing a reason, barred him from participating in any first-team activities, and ordered him to train individually. "The union analyzed my contract and the club’s actions and identified several violations of the contract, football regulations, and FIFA jurisprudence. They recommended the next steps," Haskić said. Following their intervention, he received a written explanation for his removal from the first team – one that ultimately confirmed Žilina had no legitimate grounds for such actions. "I think the club eventually understood this, and instead of a formal dispute, we were able to reach an agreement," Haskić noted. That agreement allowed him to go on loan to Polish second-division side Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala, where he has thrived, scoring nine goals in twelve matches. A similar case involved AS Trenčín midfielder Aldo Baez. Other cases the union addressed related to unpaid obligations or reductions in contractually agreed bonuses.

"One of the union's core missions is to bring international standards to our football environment. But Slovakia is not a black hole – we don’t have a huge number of such cases," said an agent Jozef Tokos, advisor of the Union of Football Professionals.

A Battle Over Balance
On the other side of these disputes are the clubs themselves. "It's important for players to have an organization like this, just as referees do – and soon, coaches will too," said Róbert Rybníček, general manager of the reigning champions.

However, he warned that in recent years, perhaps too much focus has been placed on protecting players, with insufficient attention given to the rights of clubs. As an example, he pointed to the unauthorized departure of midfielder Iván Díaz in early 2013. While still under contract with Trenčín, he never returned from his winter holiday in Argentina. "Díaz owes us €200,000 for leaving without the club's consent. FIFA ruled in our favor, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed it. But we've been waiting three-quarters of a year for a decision from FIFA’s disciplinary committee," Rybníček explained. In the meantime, Díaz spent two seasons in Argentina playing for the reserve teams of River Plate and Estudiantes de la Plata. Then, unexpectedly, he returned to Slovakia in March – not to his former team in Trenčín, but signing a new contract with MŠK Žilina. "There's a growing emphasis on player rights, but enforcement of rules toward clubs is lagging. It's unacceptable to wait so long for a FIFA ruling," Rybníček said. He revealed that Díaz's unauthorized departure caused Trenčín significant financial harm: "He was supposed to transfer to Ajax Amsterdam for over a million euros. Instead, we lost both the potential income and the player himself," added the AS Trenčín general manager.