No club(s), No glory - Lowering players’ salaries due to the COVID-19 crisis: a football club’s right or a player’s duty?

Due to the effects of the COVID-19 virus, there was uncertainty as to whether the Dutch football season could be completed and if so, when those matches would be played.^{^[1]} On 21 March 2020, the Dutch Prime Minister announced that all events requiring a permit - including official football matches, even if played behind closed doors - would be prohibited until 1 September 2020. Not only does COVID-19 affect hundreds of football players, training staff and other employees, who are currently unable to do their job, it also puts pressure on the general financial stability of clubs. Necessarily, questions are being raised about possibilities to compensation for losses suffered and expected, e.g. by lowering players’ salaries. This article discusses the possibilities of such actions in the Netherlands: “Do football clubs have the right to lower player salaries or can this only be initiated by the players themselves?”

FIFA Guidelines regarding COVID-19

Several clubs in other European countries - who face similar challenges due to the virus - have already lowered their players’ salaries.^{^[2]} However, due to differences in national laws, it differs from country to country whether a club can do so. As a prominent football governing body, FIFA drafted guidelines to mitigate the potential problems caused by COVID-19 and to harmonize the response of different member associations.^{^[3]} In terms of making amendments to players’ employment contracts regarding salaries, FIFA recommended the following principles (among others):

Clubs and employees...

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No club(s), No glory - Lowering players’ salaries due to the COVID-19 crisis: a football club’s right or a player’s duty?

FIFA Guidelines regarding COVID-19

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