Slovak football preparing economic revolution. Player salaries will change

Professional athletes are to become club employees. Clubs fear increased costs.

He is a professional footballer and, like most of his teammates, is currently self-employed. With a monthly income of €2,500, he takes home €1,901 after taxes and contributions. This is set to change. As early as next year, he would become a regular employee of the club he plays for, leaving him with a net income of only €1,789. Why, then, would he swap self-employment for formal employment? The answer is simple – because he will have to. The European Football Association (UEFA) is pushing for it. It has emphasised that it will require a standard employment relationship for footballers in all countries where it operates. Slovakia will be no exception, as the majority of professional footballers here are also self-employed. “A working group is already preparing a sports law, which should also include an employment contract in sport,” said Slovak Football Association spokesman Juraj Čurný. Although standard employment contracts are common abroad, domestic clubs are not thrilled by the change. They would face new obligations such as paying social contributions for players and fulfilling other employer duties. “It would definitely mean higher costs for us,” said Slovan’s manager Petr Kašpar. In addition, according to him, all existing contracts with players, even those signed years in advance, would have to be revised.

Labour Code stands in the way
This situation has persisted in Slovakia for years, and according to experts, no one wanted to address it. While lower costs suited the clubs, players themselves also benefited. As self-employed, they could deduct expenses such as rehabilitation, seaside stays, or other activities. Football agent and sports lawyer Jozef Tokos points out, however, that footballers’ self-employment is a circumvention of the law. Players meet all the criteria for dependent work and are far from genuinely self-employed. The Football Association argues that there is currently no other solution in Slovakia due to inadequate legislation. “Professional footballers and clubs simply cannot avoid being in conflict with the current Labour Code,” added Čurný. Experts agree with this assessment. Former labour minister Jozef Mihál (SaS) noted that regular employees are limited to a maximum 40-hour work week, which is insufficient for footballers. Equally unrealistic are two days of rest per week or the annual leave entitlements.

Law to provide a solution
The Ministry of Education is also contributing to the solution. It is preparing a new sports law to address the employment of professional athletes by clubs – not only footballers, but also hockey players and other sportspeople. “It would take into account the necessary deviations from the Labour Code required by the specific nature of sporting activity,” announced ministry spokeswoman Beáta Dupaľová Ksenzsighová. According to estimates by the Football Association, new types of employment contracts should be in place within two years. Despite the risk of lower net incomes, players would not object to the changes. According to footballer Erik Grendel, it would at least relieve them of matters they currently have to handle themselves, such as paying social contributions and taxes. “And also paying the accountant who prepares these things,” he told the Economic Daily.