European Professional Football Social Dialogue Task Force meeting held in Malta

A meeting of the European Professional Football Social Dialogue Task Force was held at the Grand Hotel Excelsior on Friday with the main item on the agenda being the implementation of minimum requisites in contracts of professional players across Europe.

UEFA, ECA (European Clubs Association), FIFPro (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels) and EPFL (Association of European Professional Football Leagues) reached this agreement as part of the EU Social Dialogue in 2012.

The Social Dialogue consisted of consultations, negotiations and other measures taken by the organisations representing both sides of the football industry, namely the clubs and the leagues as employers and the players as employees and UEFA as a moderator, being the governing body of football. Through these meetings, the social partners have created a document that encourages associations and European clubs to make sure that the work contracts between clubs and players contain the minimum clauses that have been agreed upon by all the parties involved in the Social Dialogue.

UEFA president Michel Platini led this project which represents another step in defining the relationship between clubs and professional players after UEFA, FIFA and the European Commission had paved the way when reaching an agreement on the regulations governing international transfers of players in 2001 in light of the European Court of Justice’s decision in the landmark case of Jean-Marc Bosman in 1995.

The meeting held in Malta was one of a series of meetings which the task force, created by the Social Dialogue and which includes representatives of all stakeholders. The task-force met MFA officials, club and players’ representatives to discuss how minimum requisites in contracts of professional players playing in Malta will be implemented.