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| Korea Times file |
By John Duerden
Rules and regulations in the K-League rarely make international headlines, but there were a few eyebrows raised this week after reports surfaced that the league and the Korea Football Association (KFA) had together agreed on a new standard contract without any input from the Korean Pro-Footballers Association (KPFA).
The KPFA is one of 65 national associations around the world to come under the umbrella of FIFPRO, and the global organization is considering making a formal complaint against the KFA and K-League, saying that the two bodies have agreed on a new standard contract clause that takes power away from players.
This system means that a player will have no choice but to accept a transfer if another club offers better terms, regardless of how much or how little those terms have improved. According to FIFPRO, this condition is not only a violation of players' employment rights but it is also a breach of FIFA regulations.
"The contractual clause … is truly inexplicable and reduces a player's transfer to a transaction between two employers, with the employee having no say whatsoever," FIFPRO said in a statement, adding that it marks a new low.
Lee Keun-ho, the former Korean international and Asian Player of the Year who is now with Daegu FC and is also KPFA co-president, told The Korea Times that there needs to be a rethinking and consultation with the players regarding the contract.
"In the hopes of changing the current standard contract, many players notified the KPFA that it needed revisions," Lee said. "However, the articles still remain in their current state and I think they should not be passed. In Korea, players' voices aren't heard when it comes to crucial decision-making processes. The KPFA is working to establish a system where players' voices can be heard."
It remains to be seen what happens. Players had a meeting with government officials on Thursday to present their concerns about the contract. There is an understanding that the global pandemic has placed financial pressure on clubs and that there may be a need for compromise, but the players believe that there can only be compromise when there is dialogue.
"There has been no discussion between the K-League and the players with regard to many regulations, such as the salary cap, roster regulations, reduced win bonuses and the standard contract," Lee added. "Players are out of the loop and most simply receive information through the news. The KPFA has requested open dialogue, but there has been no reply. We want open dialogue with the K-League and to work together for the development of Korean football. The players are desperate to build a system for dialogue as stakeholders of the game."
Regardless of new contract regulations, if the players are being shut out, or even feel that they are being shut out, then the future is bleak. As Lee said, they are crucial stakeholders in Korean football and in the modern game, edicts cannot be handed out from up high with the expectations that rules will be followed without question.
After all, the happier and more secure players feel, the better they will play and the more youngsters will be tempted to pursue careers in the world's greatest sport.
