AIFF's inaction may force FPAI to take players' contract issue to FIFA

Bhaichung Bhutia set up FPAI to address issues such as unprofessional contracts

Effort are being taken for last couple of years by Football Players Association of India (FPAI), to convince the country’s football clubs to make proper agreements with its players. Most of the country’s clubs are accused of depriving its footballers from a valid and proper contract. Even the country’s premier football clubs have been carrying on with unprofessionally made contracts with its footballers for a long time. Most of the contract papers are not even handed over to the the footballers by the clubs. Several premier clubs have traditional practice of deceiving a footballer by skipping the payment of his remaining portion of the contracted money at the end of the season.

Indian football’s icon Bhaichung Bhutia, immediately after having built up FPAI three years ago, took up the issue seriously. For last couple of years, FPAI has been in the process to convince the country’s premier clubs on the matter.

Bhaichung, commenting on the issue, said, “Footballers are the heart of any club. Whatever fame and money a club earns throughout a season, is the outcome of its footballers’ hard work. So it cannot be accepted when a club deceives its footballers. During my playing career, I saw many footballers being victims of a (lack of) proper contract from their respective clubs. Even I watched country’s several renowned footballers who were swindled financially by the clubs at the end of a season. So, it was in my mind even during my playing days that I would try to stand by the players.”

The clubs however have done nothing on the matter. FPAI made a model contract and sent it to country’s premier clubs, but all effort went in vain. According to FPAI, even the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has not also responded to the FPAI’s repeated appeal on the issue. So now, frustrated with the clubs’ dilly-dallying attitude and the Federation’s idleness, FPAI is taking the issue to FIFA.

FPAI has an advantage of being affiliated to FIFPro, the international football players’ organisation. A senior FPAI executive informed, “During the senior national football team’s preparatory camp in Pune before their AFC Challenge Cup, one of FIFPro’s directors in Asia, Andrew Scott came to Pune to watch the national team’s training. And we were also there. We had serious discussions over the players’ contract in Indian club football. Even the senior national footballers, who were in the preparatory camp attended the meeting. And according to Mr Scott, FIFPro will have a meeting in around May-June in Netherlands where FIFA representatives will be present. Scott has asked us to raise the players’ model contract issue in the meeting, so that FIFA and FIFPro members send the directives finally to the AIFF to give Indian premier clubs a mandate on the implementation of model contracts with the footballers.”

FPAI top brass will request the AIFF secretary once before they attend the FIFPro meeting in June. According to FPAI executive, “If the Federation does not give importance this time also, then we must raise this issue in the FIFPro and FIFA meeting.”