MFPA Player Zone Magazine #4

Player Zone 2019 Player Zone 2019
WHY IS A PLAYERS’
ASSOCIATION
REPRESENTING COACHES
IN LEGAL DISPUTES?
MFPA’s legal department was set up specifically to help players with any
regulatory issue they may face. As a player’s union, our first aim is always
to help and assist players.
However, recently, we have increasingly found ourselves being approached
by coaches, physiotherapists, team managers and sometimes even clubs
for legal assistance.
Since we do not have unlimited resources, at times we have had to prioritize
helping players over everyone else, but whenever we can, we try to help
anyone who reaches out to us, for a number of reasons.
It is in line with our values to help
those who find themselves in a sea of
complicated regulatory football woes,
without access to expert help. We
believe all stakeholders in football are
important and that everyone’s rights
should be upheld and safeguarded.
It would be extremely hypocritical
for us to campaign that
#PlayersRightsAreHumanRights and then
turn away when others are victims of clear
human rights breaches and we did nothing
to help, when we easily could have.
The same system that is allowing rampant
abuse of players’ employment rights, is also
responsible for abuse of coaches’ employment
rights. For the system to be fixed, all breaches
in employment rights must be challenged.
In other words, assisting a coach or a team
manager also helps players because it deals
with issues that are present across the whole
employee spectrum.
Players do not live in a bubble, untouched by
the environment around them. Players build
relationships and friendships with the people
they meet daily, whether it is fellow players,
the coach, the team manager, the physio or
anyone else. Often it is players themselves
that refer people to us, and when possible, we
help them because we want our players to live,
train and compete in a serene environment.
MFPA will continue to help in any way it can all those that reach out to us,
with two main exceptions.
When there is a conflict of interest between Players’ rights and anyone
else’s, MFPA will always prioritize the Player.
When resources do not permit us to assist everyone, MFPA will always
prioritize the Player.
We are after all a Player’s Association and anything else would be
unacceptable.
28 Why is a Players’ Association Representing Coaches in Legal Disputes
Why is a Players’ Association Representing Coaches in Legal Disputes
29