Lawyer Ibrahim Abiola warns against erosion of contractual discipline in football

Lawyer Ibrahim Abiola warns against erosion of contractual discipline in football

FIFA-approved representative and legal practitioner, Ibrahim Abiola, has expressed grave concern over what he described as a growing trend of indiscipline and disregard for contractual obligations in professional football.

 

Speaking as a guest analyst on GAME ON, News Central TV’s flagship Monday night sports programme, Abiola offered a comprehensive legal perspective on recent high-profile transfer disputes and contract breaches between players and clubs. 

According to Abiola, a club's failure to pay a player for as little as two months without justification is already sufficient legal grounds for the termination of a contract. 

However, he pointed out that the issue is no longer one-sided, as some players have been known to manipulate this provision by deliberately forcing their clubs into default. 

“There have also been instances where players deliberately forced the club into breaching their contracts,” Abiola noted. 

“Some clubs have even argued that they were pushed into defaulting by players withholding their services.” Citing specific examples, he mentioned Sporting’s decision to fine Viktor Gyökeres €300,000—a penalty he was compelled to settle following his transfer to Arsenal.

While acknowledging the club's right to impose disciplinary measures, Abiola warned that such cases set a dangerous precedent. 

“If players can simply go on strike to force a transfer, and the only consequence is a fine, then clubs risk losing authority, devaluing their assets, and creating disharmony within the squad,” he said.

Abiola advised that rather than allowing these situations to become normalized, clubs must seek legal redress through appropriate channels such as FIFA or the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). “Continuing with this precedent weakens contractual obligations and destabilizes team harmony. 

Some players have gone down this path, knowing that if they don’t leave, unrest will spread within the squad,” he explained. 

Another issue Abiola identified was the overreliance on verbal or "gentlemen’s agreements" between clubs and players.

Using Gyökeres and Ademola Lookman as examples, he emphasized that no matter how cordial a relationship is, only written and signed agreements carry legal weight. 

“In professional football, no matter how strong the relationship is, agreements should always be written and signed. Once it’s documented in black and white, it can be enforced anywhere in the world,” Abiola stressed. “Verbal agreements, however, hold little weight and leave players vulnerable.” 

The question of blame in these disputes is also complex. Abiola suggested that culpability may lie either with the players attempting to force premature exits or with their legal teams who fail to secure properly defined exit clauses in contracts. 

“Either way, players must ensure that every agreement is properly documented in writing, because when disputes arise, clubs will prioritize their own interests,” he said. 

He referenced the case of Alexander Isak, who reportedly wants to leave Newcastle United despite having three years left on his contract, as a warning sign of a growing disregard for binding agreements.

 “If players with existing contracts can simply down tools and force an exit, what does this mean for the future of professional football? Will contracts become meaningless?” Abiola asked. 

Highlighting data from past cases, Abiola revealed that around 70% of players who went on strike eventually succeeded in forcing transfers—a statistic he believes will only encourage more players to follow suit unless clubs begin to fight back through the proper legal channels. 

“To prevent this, at least one club must take the bold step of challenging such cases through FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber or CAS, in order to set a clear ruling,” he concluded.