The 2020 K League 1 season opener between Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Suwon Samsung Bluewings is under way at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 8, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Starting this year, professional football league players will be entitled to reject transfers to a different football club even if the annual wage offered is better than at their previous club if other conditions, such as the period of the contract, work against them, the antitrust regulator said Monday.
The Fair Trade Commission announced that it had corrected unfair provisions in player contracts and K League regulations governing the 22 football clubs participating in K Leagues 1 and K League 2.
The commission embarked on an investigation following accusations made by the Korea Pro-Footballer’s Association in December 2019. Football clubs and the K League agreed to apply new corrected provisions this year.
The commission decided that it was unfair to deprive players of the right to reject a transfer to a different team if the offer for the player’s annual wage was better than their previous contract.
The commission ruled that since professional football players have the right to earn free agent status upon expiration of their contract, and K League is divided into major and minor leagues, other conditions such as the contract period and the player’s affiliation in the major or minor league should also be guaranteed on par with annual wage.
So, even if a different football club offers a higher wage, the player may reject the offer if other conditions in the contract are unfavorable.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
