FL Chairman & Players Contracts

Lord Mawhinney, the Chairman of the Football League has expressed his personal concern over players' contracts, says the Official Site.

He was speaking at the British Association of Sports and Law conference and said that there is not enough respect concerning players' contracts in the eyes of the clubs, players and football supporters.

The assembled leading sports lawyers were asked by Lord Mawhinney to address certain issues without undermining player transfer values.

'Many Football Chairman have complained to me about unregulated approaches to their players,' the Chairman said, 'Too many agents behave as if the players contract is just a minor inconvenience. Clubs also make moves to sign or sell on players before the end of their contracts.

'There is a real danger that fans are going to suspect that the contracts are not worth the paper they are written on.

'The regular breaking of contracts calls into question the integrity of the legal process and this makes fans cynical which eventually may cause fans to tire of this great game.

'Player values are an important piece of the football jigsaw and a successful transfer system underpins the games finances and encourages clubs to invest in the Youth Development which is an essential component of the viability of the Football League.

'In the legal sense, football has not adjusted to the Bosman ruling - infact the ruling is putting the integrity of player contracts under greater pressure.

'The time for a debate about a new and credible legal framework to cover the relationship between clubs and players is fast approaching. But it cannot be just a legal exercise. It must be underpinned by the importance the player value is to the clubs which employ them.'

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