FIFPRO South America helps 59 players reclaim unpaid salaries

• A total of 59 South American footballers have recovered outstanding payments thanks to the efforts of FIFPRO South America
• These success stories extend beyond the region, reaching two professional leagues around the world
• In total, more than €450,000 has been recovered for the assisted players.

One of the major issues affecting thousands of footballers worldwide is the non-compliance of contracts signed with their clubs, whether through late salary payments or other forms of abusive conduct.

FIFPRO President Sergio Marchi recently described this problem in an interview with FIFPRO.org: "It is economic violence against footballers and their families. There are those who do not have health coverage or social security, who do not have a contract for at least a year, who live with uncertainty and do not receive their salaries on time. We are talking about more than 50 percent of the world’s footballers."

In this context of precarious conditions imposed by entities that fail to honour signed agreements, FIFPRO South America, working together with its member unions, has been carrying out legal claims to ensure players receive the money owed to them.

Since 2019, 59 players from Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, Venezuela and Bolivia have successfully recovered unpaid amounts through claims led by the South American division.

"We receive some complaints directly, both through my colleagues at the union and myself, as well as via the FIFPRO South America email," explained Cristian Aragon, administrative secretary of Argentinian player union Futbolistas Argentinos Agremiados (FAA).

"When a complaint arrives, we assess the situation and ask the player to provide all supporting documentation for the action to be taken. We then forward it to the lawyers so they can analyse the case and initiate a claim if appropriate. Sometimes this is handled by Agremiados' lawyers and other times by the legal department of FIFPRO South America."

The claims are not limited to the eight countries that make up the division; they can be filed against any professional club in the world. Successful cases have involved clubs in Venezuela, Ecuador, Wales, Kosovo, Bolivia, Gibraltar, Thailand, Paraguay, Honduras, Greece, Peru, Romania, Chile, Serbia, Italy, Andorra, Guatemala, Brazil, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Colombia.

Each case presents its own level of complexity. In one instance involving a club in Venezuela, the debt was settled through direct negotiations with the club's authorities. In other cases, disputes were brought before FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber.

"Once a claim is submitted to FIFA, the process is usually swift and players are paid relatively quickly. Sometimes it takes a bit longer," Aragon said.

For example, Pablo Magnin’s case against Deportivo Cuenca of Ecuador was resolved with a favourable ruling in a short period of time. Other cases proved more challenging, such as Bautista Cascini’s dispute with a Romanian club.

"That one was difficult. The Romanian club was quite tough. They didn’t want to pay and claimed they had no funds. It took a long time, but it was eventually resolved in the player’s favour."

In another situation, a player not only needed to recover a debt from a club in Kosovo, but also wanted to secure a move elsewhere. After complex negotiations, both objectives were achieved.

The total amount recovered by the assisted players amounts to USD 323,613.36, EUR 99,731 and AED 250,750.