2.2 Legal

Obtaining Justice

The legal aspects of FIFPRO's work

Football’s legal framework is different from other industries. Professional footballers should in most cases file employment-related claims before recognised football tribunals. If you are a member of a national player association, you should always turn to this association for legal advice first.

What you should know

We strongly advise players to join their local player association

Your local association can assist you with making a claim. They can also give you important advice about your contract before you sign with a club.

Most complaints by players are about unpaid wages

Our survey of 14,000 players in 2016 found that 41 percent of players had been paid late in the previous two seasons - and in one country this was as high as 95 percent. We also found more than 700 players (six percent) had been isolated from the rest of the squad, a tactic used to make players rescind their contract.

Players have a legal justification to leave a club

From 1 June 2018, FIFA agreed to change rules so that players have a legal justification to leave a club if they give 15 days' notice after not being paid for two straight months. Clubs can also no longer write so-called 'grace periods'' into contracts which allow them to pay player wages late, and players can start legal proceedings with a view to leaving a club which is behaving in an abusive way towards them.

FIFPRO Ball 1100