Int'l players' union FIFPro withdrew its "European Commission complaint against FIFA's global transfer rules" after the two parties agreed to a "landmark, six-year cooperation deal" in Zurich, according to Matt Slater of the PA. FIFPro lodged its restraint-of-trade complaint against football's world governing body in Sept. '15, with some experts suggesting it could be as "far-reaching" as the '95 Bosman ruling that let players "change clubs at the end of their contracts without their old club receiving a fee." Monday's deal "signals the formal end of hostilities" between the two organizations but "talks between the pair on changes to the player-contract regulations have been under way for 18 months." As a result of those negotiations, the "first significant concession to the union is that players who are not paid by their clubs, or are mistreated by them, will be able to break their contracts and leave." While this is "not a major problem in football's richer leagues," a '16 FIFPro survey of 14,000 of its members found 41% of them had experienced delays in their pay and a "significant number had been forced by their clubs to train alone as a tactic to make them break contracts" (PA, 11/6). REUTERS' Brian Homewood reported FIFA "agreed to set up a task force to look at sweeping changes to the transfer regulations in the long term." The system has been "under scrutiny because of the spiralling fees paid for big-name players," such as Neymar's "record-shattering" €222M move from Barcelona to Paris St. Germain earlier this year. There are also "concerns that it has contributed to the growing dominance of a handful of select clubs." FIFPro President Philippe Piat said that the agreement would "set in motion the biggest changes to football transfer rules since 2001." The issues which the task force could examine include "limiting transfer fees and increasing competitive balance as well as the role of agents, transfer windows, the loan system and squad sizes" (REUTERS, 11/6).
'SPIRIT OF COOPERATION': The BBC reported a new Football Stakeholders Committee -- made up of FIFA, FIFPro, the European Club Association and the World Leagues Forum, which includes confederations, member associations and professional football stakeholders -- will establish the task force to look at the transfer market. Piat said, "FIFPro is pleased with the new spirit of cooperation shown by FIFA and its willingness to listen to the concerns of players." FIFA also announced measures to "streamline dispute resolution between players and clubs, particularly for decisions in cases of overdue payables." In addition, there is "a new provision to avoid the abusive conduct of parties, such as players being forced to train alone." FIFA President Gianni Infantino called the agreement "an important milestone in the improvement of the global governance of professional football" (BBC, 11/6).
