Football transfer system must change, says world players' union

Dempsey

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/25418135

Football faces a legal challenge that could result in the end of transfer fees and have as big an impact on the game as the landmark Bosman ruling.

Fifpro president wrote:

The transfer system fails 99% of players around the world, it fails football as an industry and it fails the world's most beloved game

I think Fifpro want the transfer fees abolished so more money can be spent on players wages.

I think the structure should be changed to benefit and protect clubs that develop players, I dont see how this helps the games' development overall.

CSF

The impact of this would be devastating to football.

niallo27

Would this not just further the gap between the elite clubs and the rest. Footballers are assets worth a lot of money, you can't compare them to the common workforce.

Imagine the wages players would be on then.

smileyj1987

If they do that then the richest clubs will have no competition for players . Plus it will mean an average footballers take home pay will be huge !

Uaru

If they brought in world wide salary caps and maximum squad sizes to go along with it it could be good for football. Don't think the Union would be up for that either though.

Uaru

Uaru wrote: »

If they brought in world wide salary caps and maximum squad sizes to go along with it it could be good for football. Don't think the Union would be up for that either though.

Yeah the players might want to be careful what they wish for, more "rights" will have an awful lot more conditions attached.

Pete_Cavan

Dempsey wrote: »

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/25418135

"Despite football enjoying record amounts of revenue, football's regulatory and economic system fails miserably on numerous fronts and drives the professional game towards self-destruction," said Bobby Barnes, president of Fifpro's European division.

"Destruction through a systemic disrespect for those on the pitch. Destruction through a failure to achieve competitive balance and financial stability. Destruction through an absence of responsible governance, which invites criminals to abuse our game."

Is he actually suggesting that the abolition of transfer fees would make players have more respect for each other, create competitive balance and financial stability and remove criminality from the game? How can anyone take that guy seriously?

There is a certain logic that says if players are paid more they are less likely to be influenced by officers of money from criminals, but he says it is "an absence of responsible governance" that attracts criminals, so how does removal of transfer fees create more responsible governance? I think it is disgraceful that he would hijack something like match fixing, which could seriously damage the game, for his organisations benefit. Just smacks of someone who doesn't give a **** about the game.

There may be a case for abolishing transfer fees (and I think they will have a very strong case if it goes to the ECJ) but it should be discussed on its own merits, not bull**** like this.

Frank Garrett

This is one of the worst ideas I've heard in a very long time. The smaller clubs won't be able to hold on to their talent as they would be signed by big clubs as soon as they showed promise, they'll be stuck in the lower leagues and having to re-shuffle their tactics to adjust to losing their players. Think of what happened to Arsenal when we kept losing our best players every Summer, we suffered with poor form for a few months until the team gelled, only for it to happen again the next season.

PhlegmyMoses

rarnes1 wrote: »

Imagine the wages players would be on then.

I have no problems with players earning more as long as the club's financials are healthy. Better than it going to the shareholders or directors.

This idea is ridiculous though. Ruinous, potentially.

Dempsey

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/9079039/fifpro-convinced-of-uefa-and-fifa-support-for-transfer-system-overhaul

FIFPro General Secretary wrote:

"We said in our statement we are always open for negotiations and we are at a certain moment where it is necessary to put pressure on the governing bodies to solve the problems we have in football," Van Seggelen said. "We think the transfer system is one of the reasons why we have these problems.

"We would like to change agents' regulations which we are working hard on with all the stakeholders in football. We want to stop third-party ownership of players, which is the case in England and Poland - the only two countries in the world.

"We really want to do something about match-fixing and we also cannot accept any longer that over 20% of the players in the world are not being paid on time and in some cases are not being paid."

"We have to force the governing bodies to change the system in a way that players' rights are respected. That is what we want and that is what we'll be trying to force."

He added: "It's not about abolishing the transfer system. The consequences of the system are that a lot of money is going out of football - look at the development of third-party ownership of players you see that we cannot any longer accept this.

"This imbalanced situation has to be changed and I am convinced that UEFA, Michel Platini and even FIFA is realising that we have to do something about it.

"It's not that we are desperate but we have lost patience and for that reason we have decided to act like this and challenge the transfer system in a legal way."

More soundbites from the organisation as they begin their campaign to rid the football world of oppression and tyranny :pac:

Easy to say the system is flawed, a small bit harder to come up with something better! Nothing productive from them yet!

ArmaniJeanss

Does anyone actually listen to FifPro and their monthly press releases?
In theory they are a bit important as the union of all the individual leagues players union, but in practise I suspect they are roundly ignored by everyone including their own membership (many of whom probably don't even know they are members).
Their executive board appears to be compromised of a bunch of no-mark figures which won't help either.

Their yearly FifPro World XI is about their only bit of relevance I think.