FIFPro Asia and the legal rights of players

Asian Cases Before the FIFA DRC

The following is a breakdown of the number of cases submitted to the FIFA DRC over the past few years involving Asian clubs:

FIFPro Asia Legal Committee

The FIFPro Asia Legal Committee has been established for the central purpose of providing advice on legal matters to the Board of FIFPro Asia. The Committeehas a central role to play in ensuring the Board and the members of FIFPro Asia effectively represent, advance and promote the rights and responsibilities of professional footballers within the jurisdiction of FIFPro Asia and its member countries.

The Committee’s duties include:

• to review the national player transfer, registration and employment regulations in countries within the jurisdiction of FIFPro Asia to ensure compliance with relevant FIFA regulations and circulars which are binding at the national level;
• to review the form of employment contracts in use in countries within the jurisdiction of FIFPro Asia to ensure the minimum contract requirements prescribed by FIFA are complied with; and
• to review regulations and procedures for the resolution of employment related disputes between clubs and players in countries within the jurisdiction of FIFPro Asia to ensure FIFA’s regulations regarding NDRCs are complied with.

The Committee consists of a wide range of international lawyers who have a deep understanding of industrial relations in sports and in particular Football's regulatory framework. The composition of the Committee is:

•  Mr. Andrew Scott-Howman (New Zealand), Committee Chairman
•  Mr. James Johnson (Australia), Committee Secretary
•  Ms. Laura Sigal (Australia)
•  Mr. Takuya Yamazaki (Japan)
•  Mr. Ushanath Banerjee (India)
•  Mr. Jonathan Streifer (Indonesia)
•  Mr. Brendan Schwab, Chairman of the Board of FIFPro Asia (ex officio)

FIFPro Asia Professional Football Committee

The FIFPro Asia Professional Football Committee under the chairmanship of Junichi Takano (Japan) works towards safeguarding the standards, safety, career path and interests of professional footballers in the member countries of the Division.

The members of the Committee are Baichung Bhutia (India), Vennard Hutabarat (Indonesia), Alistair Edwards (Australia), Harry Ngata (NZ), Yasuhiko Okudera (Japan) and Dhinesh Chelliah (Malaysia).

The Committee reviews the various aspects and conditions of playing professional football in FIFPro Asia member countries in order to:

• establish a comprehensive program that provides players with the required support and advice to develop a clear career path;
• highlight the importance of preparation for life after football and the educational opportunities available to players including obtaining coaching licenses and undertaking studies at tertiary level; and
• understand their responsibilities as professionals, which includes adherence to the Code of Conduct/Disciplinary Code of their respective leagues and the FIFA Code of Ethics.