Football-Bundesliga

Comment: Common Sense

Employment contracts of football players may be limited in time. The regional labour court of Rhineland-Palatinate ruled. A wise decision, says Tobias Oelmaier.

Of professional sport, professional football has long been no longer an island, in the associations right to speak and in the absolute freedom of contract applies. As supposedly wrongly the banned athletes have also been times in front of the civil court to claim damages by the Association to enforce the. Since sue players for their progression to the second team. Because, one day, a certain Jean-Marc Bosman before the European court of justice ensured that transfer of vertragslosen professionals have been abolished. With the recently adopted Anti-Doping law has the criminal justice system in a direct recourse against cheating athletes. And the FBI is in the process of the decades of Korruptionssumpf in Weltfußballverband down.

Since it is only understandable that the former goalkeeper football Heinz Müller now is trying, against his former employer, the Bundesliga club FSV Mainz 05, his interests before the labour court to enforce. He complains on “statement of Continuation as an open-ended employment contract”. Contracts of employment – and nothing else are the contracts between the clubs and kickers – need-namely, in the case of more than two years to maturity is usually a reason for their limitation. These are also, was now the regional labour court of Rhineland-Palatinate. The lie in the “nature of work”.

DW-sports editor Tobias Oelmaier

If this time limit is not, footballers in compliance with the statutory deadlines simply cancel. Coveted Stars could be within four weeks to a better offer will follow and the club switch. You would probably do much better to earn than they already do. And the Fan would know due to the frequent Personalwechsels not more, with whom, on the place he is because at the moment identify. On the other hand, should the clubs a works install, the questioning would have to, if you have a defunct player to get rid of wanted. The result would be, as feared, the German football, bloated squad with 40, 50 or even more players. Footballers are not normal employees. This is already shown by their salaries.

Müller remains the remedy of Revision before the Federal Supreme labor court or even the walk in front of the European court of justice. It is possible, however, that the games now out of court amicably. More than a financial compensation wanted Müller is not likely to reach. But the day will come when a professional athlete of his right to durchfechten wants. Up to the last instance. As it was Bosman. Would this fictitious plaintiffs win, would the entire System collapse. So it remains only to wish that for this case, the judges with common sense are judging, so as their colleagues in Mainz, and the Sport a little of his autonomy. Otherwise it will be him in this Form soon to be no more.

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