World players' union FIFPro has said it will take legal action to "ensure players who are not paid on time are free to look for a new club," according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS. FIFPro said on Friday that negotiations to reform the transfer system "ground to a halt last week after representatives from the European clubs and leagues rejected demands to protect players who were not paid on time or had their contracts unjustly terminated." FIFPro said in its statement, "FIFPro has received the unanimous support of its European members to pursue all legal means necessary in a bid to restore the basic rights of players impeded by football's fundamentally flawed player transfer system." FIFPro Division Europe President Bobby Barnes said, "The basic right of players to be paid according to the terms laid out in their contract is non-negotiable. We entered into these negotiations in good faith and always remained committed to find a negotiated solution, but this has unfortunately not been met with reciprocity" (REUTERS, 1/30).
