July 6 – Global football players union Fifpro has warned footballers about “systematic and widespread contractual violations” in football, singling out Algeria, China, Greece Libya, Romania, Saudi Arabia and Turkey as countries where these risks are high.
The union said that non-payment of salaries was also a recurring problem for players in Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Romania and Turkey while second-division clubs in Greece often cease operations without honouring debts.
Greece’s players union (PSAP) said clubs in the country owed more than €25 million in unpaid wages. “The elevated number of clubs in Greece that enter into insolvency procedures continues to have severe consequences for players, pushing them into never-ending insolvency procedures with little to no chance of getting any compensation,” added PSAP.
“For the past two years, Greece has been the country with the highest number of players seeking to get some of their unpaid wages from the FIFA Player Protection Fund.”
The problem of insolvency is also a source for players in Romania, where players are often left with nothing, according to Fifpro.
Two years ago, Fifpro and world federation FIFA said up a fund to help compensate players, who have fallen victim to their clubs running into financial problems. This year the fund is worth $4 million.
Fifpro also noted that it “is increasingly concerned about the growing number of foreign players who are stranded in the country because clubs that employ them refuse to provide the relevant documentation to leave.”
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