Peter Crouch could add to Rafa Benitez's woes
By Andrew Warshaw
Last Updated: 12:05am GMT 17/02/2008
England striker Peter Crouch could add to Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez's problems by quitting the club while still under contract as a result of a landmark legal case that has been described by Fifa president Sepp Blatter as having "far-reaching and damaging effects".
The case has also opened the way for dozens of Premier League stars like Chelsea's Frank Lampard - despite Avram Grant's denial yesterday - to leave their clubs while still under contract.
In what is regarded as the most dangerous precedent since the Bosman decision, which only applies to out-of-contract footballers, former Wigan defender Andy Webster was the first player to take advantage of Article 17 of Fifa's regulations on the status and transfer of players.
This effectively allows players to hand in their notice if they have fulfilled three years of a four or five-year contract and are under the age of 28. If they are over 28, they can do it after two years.
Webster invoked the escape route when he walked out on Hearts to join Wigan after being frozen out at the Edinburgh club when he refused to sign a new contract. He was ordered by Fifa to pay £625,000, but when the case went to tribunal the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced the payment to a mere £150,000 which, it said crucially, reflected Webster's wages rather than his transfer value - a bitter blow to his former club who believed he was worth £4.6 million.
To add salt to Hearts' wounds, Webster spent only a few months at Wigan before moving back to Scotland and is now at Rangers.
Crouch, who is expected to be left out of Liverpool's starting line-up for this week's high-profile Champions League showdown against Inter Milan, is the latest big name to consider using the loophole.
The Sunday Telegraph understands that Crouch is carefully considering exploiting the ruling, one of several options open to the England striker whose current deal expires at the end of next season.
Although both Liverpool and Crouch's agent Jonathan Barnett refused to confirm that similar action was being taken by the player, it is understood that the threat of buying out his contract and leaving for far less than his market value is likely to form part of Crouch's negotiations.
Barnett said clubs had nothing to worry about if they behaved responsibly: "Certainly it will change the way things are conducted and we are probably heading for a period of shorter contracts. But I've never heard of a player volunteering to leave a club when he is happy and being well-paid." Whether Crouch is happy is another matter, however; he played yesterday, but has started only six Premier League games this season.
Although the rule applies only to cross-border transfers, Graham Shear, one of the country's top sports lawyers, says this was an unviable restraint and "would certainly be challenged".
Chairmen are increasingly alarmed at what they claim is another example of player power. "It's totally unfair," said Leicester owner Milan Mandaric. "Clubs often take players on long contracts to develop them into better players. To just say goodbye and wind up somewhere else for far less money than you would want to sell them for will cause unbelievable instability. How on earth do you build for the future?"
Although the rule was designed to provide a balanced exit route for an unhappy player who did not otherwise have "just cause" to leave, no one until Webster had utilised the option. "We discussed this at the Premier League meeting and you could see some concerned faces," said Birmingham chairman David Gold.
Many believe the loophole will provide a bonanza for agents eager to move players on when their contracts have passed the protected period.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/mai.../sfnfro217.xml
By Andrew Warshaw
Last Updated: 12:05am GMT 17/02/2008
England striker Peter Crouch could add to Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez's problems by quitting the club while still under contract as a result of a landmark legal case that has been described by Fifa president Sepp Blatter as having "far-reaching and damaging effects".
The case has also opened the way for dozens of Premier League stars like Chelsea's Frank Lampard - despite Avram Grant's denial yesterday - to leave their clubs while still under contract.
In what is regarded as the most dangerous precedent since the Bosman decision, which only applies to out-of-contract footballers, former Wigan defender Andy Webster was the first player to take advantage of Article 17 of Fifa's regulations on the status and transfer of players.
This effectively allows players to hand in their notice if they have fulfilled three years of a four or five-year contract and are under the age of 28. If they are over 28, they can do it after two years.
Webster invoked the escape route when he walked out on Hearts to join Wigan after being frozen out at the Edinburgh club when he refused to sign a new contract. He was ordered by Fifa to pay £625,000, but when the case went to tribunal the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced the payment to a mere £150,000 which, it said crucially, reflected Webster's wages rather than his transfer value - a bitter blow to his former club who believed he was worth £4.6 million.
To add salt to Hearts' wounds, Webster spent only a few months at Wigan before moving back to Scotland and is now at Rangers.
Crouch, who is expected to be left out of Liverpool's starting line-up for this week's high-profile Champions League showdown against Inter Milan, is the latest big name to consider using the loophole.
The Sunday Telegraph understands that Crouch is carefully considering exploiting the ruling, one of several options open to the England striker whose current deal expires at the end of next season.
Although both Liverpool and Crouch's agent Jonathan Barnett refused to confirm that similar action was being taken by the player, it is understood that the threat of buying out his contract and leaving for far less than his market value is likely to form part of Crouch's negotiations.
Barnett said clubs had nothing to worry about if they behaved responsibly: "Certainly it will change the way things are conducted and we are probably heading for a period of shorter contracts. But I've never heard of a player volunteering to leave a club when he is happy and being well-paid." Whether Crouch is happy is another matter, however; he played yesterday, but has started only six Premier League games this season.
Although the rule applies only to cross-border transfers, Graham Shear, one of the country's top sports lawyers, says this was an unviable restraint and "would certainly be challenged".
Chairmen are increasingly alarmed at what they claim is another example of player power. "It's totally unfair," said Leicester owner Milan Mandaric. "Clubs often take players on long contracts to develop them into better players. To just say goodbye and wind up somewhere else for far less money than you would want to sell them for will cause unbelievable instability. How on earth do you build for the future?"
Although the rule was designed to provide a balanced exit route for an unhappy player who did not otherwise have "just cause" to leave, no one until Webster had utilised the option. "We discussed this at the Premier League meeting and you could see some concerned faces," said Birmingham chairman David Gold.
Many believe the loophole will provide a bonanza for agents eager to move players on when their contracts have passed the protected period.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/mai.../sfnfro217.xml
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