FIFA and the International Olympic Committee are trying to take football back to the days before the Bosman ruling, the international players' union FIFPro today claimed in a letter to European sports ministers.
The two international sports governing bodies are pushing for professional sport to be treated separately from business in European law and FIFPro are urging sports ministers to block the move when they meet at the European Sport Forum in Madrid next week.
The Bosman ruling in 1995 gave players the right to become free agents once their contracts expire but FIFPro fear that would end if sport and especially football is given special status under the EU's Treaty of Lisbon.
FIFPro's general secretary Theo van Seggelen told Press Association Sport: "Their intention is definitely to go back to the pre-Bosman ruling days. But it's impossible to think you can exclude professional football from European law. Why should you exclude it?
"Every time there is a problem in football they blame the Bosman case. But that ruling brought players into a better position."
Clubs blame the ruling for the surge in top players' salaries but Van Seggelen insisted it was the clubs who were to blame for that too.
"The real reason why we have a problem with salaries has nothing to do with Bosman but because clubs still do not want players to be free at the end of their contracts," he said.
"So what they are doing is playing Russian roulette, giving players very long contracts and high salaries and then forcing them to leave the club before the end of their contract by selling them."
FIFPro also want football bodies to be made to agree to a set of minimum requirements and conditions for players.
Van Seggelen added: "The top players may be earning too much but 95% of players are just earning an average salary."
FIFPro also fear that giving sport special status will lead to players losing their rights to privacy enshrined in European law which they are using to oppose the most stringent requirements of the World Anti-Doping Agency's 'whereabouts' rule.
Under that rule, all players should register their whereabouts every day of the year even when on holiday. FIFPro want access to be restricted to training grounds and matches.
The FIFPro letter has been sent to 22 sports ministers including Britain'sGerry Sutcliffe.
The Bosman ruling in 1995 gave players the right to become free agents once their contracts expire but FIFPro fear that would end if sport and especially football is given special status under the EU's Treaty of Lisbon.
FIFPro's general secretary Theo van Seggelen told Press Association Sport: "Their intention is definitely to go back to the pre-Bosman ruling days. But it's impossible to think you can exclude professional football from European law. Why should you exclude it?
"Every time there is a problem in football they blame the Bosman case. But that ruling brought players into a better position."
Clubs blame the ruling for the surge in top players' salaries but Van Seggelen insisted it was the clubs who were to blame for that too.
"The real reason why we have a problem with salaries has nothing to do with Bosman but because clubs still do not want players to be free at the end of their contracts," he said.
"So what they are doing is playing Russian roulette, giving players very long contracts and high salaries and then forcing them to leave the club before the end of their contract by selling them."
FIFPro also want football bodies to be made to agree to a set of minimum requirements and conditions for players.
Van Seggelen added: "The top players may be earning too much but 95% of players are just earning an average salary."
FIFPro also fear that giving sport special status will lead to players losing their rights to privacy enshrined in European law which they are using to oppose the most stringent requirements of the World Anti-Doping Agency's 'whereabouts' rule.
Under that rule, all players should register their whereabouts every day of the year even when on holiday. FIFPro want access to be restricted to training grounds and matches.
The FIFPro letter has been sent to 22 sports ministers including Britain'sGerry Sutcliffe.
Copyright (c) Press Association
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