The implementation of minimum requisites in contracts of professional players across the continent was discussed yesterday when European Professional Football Social Dialogue Taskforce members met with representatives of Maltese football at the Grand Excelsior Hotel in Floriana.

The agreement bet-ween UEFA, the European Clubs Association, FIFPro, the world players’ union, and the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL), as part of the European Union’s Social Dialogue, was the top item on the agenda.

“The Social Dialogue consisted of consultations, negotiations and other measures taken by the various organisations representing both sides of the football industry, namely the clubs and the leagues as employers and the players as employees,” the Malta FA, who were entrusted with the organisation of the meeting, said in a statement.

“As the governing body of football, UEFA’s role was to act as moderator during these discussions.”

Through these meetings, the social partners have created a document that encourages associations and European clubs to make sure that the work contracts between clubs and players contain the clauses that have been agreed upon by all the parties involved in the Social Dialogue.

This project, piloted by UEFA president Michel Platini, represents another important step in defining the relationship between football clubs and professional players after UEFA, FIFA and the European Commission had paved the way when reaching an agreement on the regulations governing international transfers of players in 2001 in light of the decision of the European Court of Justice in the landmark case of Belgian player Jean-Marc Bosman in 1995.

The European Professional Football Social Dialogue Task Force is holding meetings in all countries across the continent.

During yesterday’s stage, task force members held talks with officials from the Malta FA, led by president Norman Darmanin Demajo, and representatives of clubs and Maltese players.

Discussions centred mainly on how and when the minimum requisites of professional players’ contracts, as agreed during the Social Dialogue, can start being implemented in agreements of players who ply their trade in the Maltese leagues.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.