As a response to the EU Commission´s
recent objections to the duration of contracts
and to the transfer fees paid in professional
football in the EU, and in co-ordination with
the German Federal Government, the
delegates to the Extraordinary DFB Congress
in Mainz on 30th September 2000 passed a
resolution aimed at finding a solution that is
acceptable to the Commission. The proposals
adopted in Mainz are meant to mitigate the
impact that any major changes to the current
system are feared to have on football in
Europe. The paper has now been forwarded to
the German government whose short- to
mid-term target is to adopt a common,
pan-European approach to the issue.
In brief, the resolution features the following
key points:
- There should be no international transfers of Under-18 players; this regulation
is aimed to protect and safeguard their schooling/professional education.
- Clubs should be allowed to hold on to the players they have trained and
developed until the age of 23. If a transfer takes place before then, the ceding
club should be entitled to receive a compensation for training and development;
such compensation may take the form of a previously determined lump sum.
- Long-term contracts (five years) should be allowed in the future.
- For a contract to be terminated before time, it is necessary to have the prior
agreement of all parties concerned (ceding club, new club and player).
In a meeting on Thursday, 26-10-2000, with German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder
and Interior Minister Otto Schily, the Bundesliga delegation headed by League
President Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder was assured of the government´s full support for
the above position. The participants also discussed the legal status of a professional
football player as an employee. It was agreed to further examine the possibilities to
declare a professional player "an employee sui generis".
At the same time, the German government showed it is more than happy to promote
the idea of introducing a special protocol for sports in the EU Treaty. "I greatly
appreciate the Chancellor´s commitment for German football", said DFB
Vice-President Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder. For his part, Gerhard Schröder said: "As a
keen supporter of football, I am interested in the general framework of conditions that
govern the game. My government will use all its formal and informal contacts with
Brussels to try to ensure that decent conditions prevail. We want to find a joint
platform that benefits professional football, the German Football Association and
sports in general."
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[bild1]
As a response to the EU Commission´s
recent objections to the duration of contracts
and to the transfer fees paid in professional
football in the EU, and in co-ordination with
the German Federal Government, the
delegates to the Extraordinary DFB Congress
in Mainz on 30th September 2000 passed a
resolution aimed at finding a solution that is
acceptable to the Commission. The proposals
adopted in Mainz are meant to mitigate the
impact that any major changes to the current
system are feared to have on football in
Europe. The paper has now been forwarded to
the German government whose short- to
mid-term target is to adopt a common,
pan-European approach to the issue.
In brief, the resolution features the following
key points:
- There should be no international transfers of Under-18 players; this regulation
is aimed to protect and safeguard their schooling/professional education.
- Clubs should be allowed to hold on to the players they have trained and
developed until the age of 23. If a transfer takes place before then, the ceding
club should be entitled to receive a compensation for training and development;
such compensation may take the form of a previously determined lump sum.
- Long-term contracts (five years) should be allowed in the future.
- For a contract to be terminated before time, it is necessary to have the prior
agreement of all parties concerned (ceding club, new club and player).
In a meeting on Thursday, 26-10-2000, with German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder
and Interior Minister Otto Schily, the Bundesliga delegation headed by League
President Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder was assured of the government´s full support for
the above position. The participants also discussed the legal status of a professional
football player as an employee. It was agreed to further examine the possibilities to
declare a professional player "an employee sui generis".
At the same time, the German government showed it is more than happy to promote
the idea of introducing a special protocol for sports in the EU Treaty. "I greatly
appreciate the Chancellor´s commitment for German football", said DFB
Vice-President Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder. For his part, Gerhard Schröder said: "As a
keen supporter of football, I am interested in the general framework of conditions that
govern the game. My government will use all its formal and informal contacts with
Brussels to try to ensure that decent conditions prevail. We want to find a joint
platform that benefits professional football, the German Football Association and
sports in general."
