A Final Word On Contracts (A must read for Sepp Blatter)

A footballer cannot be expected to spend his whole career at one club and neither can a club be expected to pay a footballer who is no longer of use to the club. 

At the same time, players want to go to a club where their future is secured and clubs want to sign players who are in it for the long-term.

Clubs and players found a middle ground and that is to sign long-term contracts.

A long-term contract is to the benefit of the player mainly because should he lose form or succumb to injury, the club will still have to honour the contract. The benefit to the club is that the player is certain to remain at the club for the duration of his contract or the club will receive compensation if he leaves.

However, the role of a contract in football needs to be examined in greater detail if people in football are to fully appreciate the nature of contracts:

• Contracts ensure fan loyalty and interest in football by ensuring that the composition of squads remain fairly constant from one season to the next.

• Contracts keep a check on wages. If players could play for any team they want every season, wages will rise astronomically. When players are on long term contracts, wages are negotiated after longer periods.

• Contracts ensure the competitiveness of leagues by ensuring that smaller teams don't lose all their best players and when they do, they are compensated and can therefore produce young players or buy new players.

Never mind the strong words that he used, the recent attacks by Sepp Blatter, the FIFA President, on contracts and the transfer system are unjustified considering that:

• Players have a say in the length of the contracts they sign. Even one year and month-to-month contracts are options open to them.

• Players are free to play for any club at the end of their contracts

• Players can buy out their contracts after three years.

• Players have the option of insisting on a release clause when negotiating a new contract

• The club can release the player if another club tables an acceptable transfer bid

• Players have the option to hand in a transfer request 

If we are to further protect players, we may just as well abolish contracts. The consequences would be far-ranging and any interest in a competition will be down to the top two teams that are able to pay the highest wages to the best players around.

That is not to say nothing short of abolishing contracts can be done to further "protect" players from being "exploited". The valuation of a player can be attached to his last remaining years on his contract multiplied by his wages.

This seems to be what Blatter is proposing, if only he had said it more carefully and elaborately.

Under such a system, the obvious response from clubs would be to renew contracts even more often, for much longer terms and at even higher wages to ensure a high buyout value.

The consequences would almost be the same as abolishing contracts: spiralling wages and the best players concentrated at the best teams that offer the highest wages.

Can we sacrifice the spirit of the game to cater for the whims of over-paid (compared to the rest of us) footballers?

Mathieu Flamini saw out his contract with Arsenal and moved to AC Milan. Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Manchester United twice in the last three years. He is a slave -to money, not to Manchester United.

The irony of it all is that in most cases, it is the player who demands more money (a new contract) and the club obliges.  

If it's not broken don't fix it.