ECA, EPFL Reject FIFPro's Proposals To Protect Unpaid Players

Int'l football players union FIFPro said that talks aimed at reforming football's transfer system "have broken down after European clubs and leagues refused to accept proposals to protect unpaid players," according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS. The negotiations, which opened last March, "have come to a standstill and FIFPro has called an extraordinary meeting of its Europe division in Athens on Wednesday to discuss the issue." FIFPro said that the European Clubs' Association and the European Professional Football Leagues "had failed to accept four key proposals to ensure contractual stability." These included a proposal "to allow a player to terminate his contract at 10 days' notice if he is unpaid for more than 30 days, and another entitling the player to financial compensation if his contract is terminated without just cause." ECA and the EPFL "were not immediately available for comment" (REUTERS, 1/27).