Erdal Nuhbasa – Law and Consulting Firm – Legal Services
Erdal Nuhbasa – Law and Consulting Firm – Legal Services
In the high-stakes world of professional football in Turkey, financial disputes between clubs and players have become an all-too-common shadow over the sport. The “collection of professional football players’ receivables” refers to the legal and procedural mechanisms available to football players seeking to recover unpaid salaries, bonuses, match fees, and other contractual entitlements from clubs that often grapple with mounting debts and financial mismanagement.
With Turkish football clubs collectively owing billions of Turkish Lira in player payments wide audits and warnings from global unions like FIFPro—these receivables represent not just economic assets but vital lifelines for players whose careers are fleeting and investments in their futures precarious.
Professional football players may claim their receivables arising from contracts through various legal mechanisms. These are:
The DRC, operating under the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), is authorized to resolve disputes between players, clubs, coaches, and agents related to football contracts. Applications must be made via petition, accompanied by proof of payment of the required fee to TFF’s account.
Here’s what you need to know about the procedure:
Properly drafted petitions and compliance with procedural rules are critical for a favorable outcome. Therefore, when claiming your rights, it is important for you to work with lawyers who are knowledgeable and experienced in these matters. Sometimes, being right is not enough; in addition to being right, claiming your rights in the correct manner and in a timely manner also affects the outcome.
Following the Constitutional Court’s decision of 18 January 2018, football players can now file claims before ordinary courts as well.
Although footballers are excluded from the Labor Code, their contracts are governed by private law.
Accordingly:
Players may also initiate non-judicial enforcement proceedings for due and payable debts. If no payment date is specified in the contract, the player must first send a formal notice (warning) to make the debt due.
In practice, clubs often file objections to suspend the proceedings. In that case, the player must file either a motion for removal of objection or a lawsuit for annulment of objection.
If the court deems the objection unjustified, the club may be ordered to pay at least 20% of the debt amount as compensation. Once the objection is resolved, enforcement actions such as seizure (attachment) may proceed to ensure payment.
In Turkey, the rules for football players getting their unpaid money—like salaries, bonuses, and game fees—come from a few key laws.
The main ones are:
These laws let players start by talking things out with the club. If that doesn’t work, they can go to official steps like arbitration or court.
For example, under FIFA’s RSTP Article 14bis, if a club fails to pay a player at least two monthly salaries on time, the player has “just cause” to terminate the contract without penalty after formally notifying the club in writing and giving them a 15-day deadline to pay.
In Turkey, the TFF can punish clubs that don’t pay by taking away points, banning transfers, or even dropping them to a lower league. This gives players more power to get their money faster. To start a claim, players should collect all proof, like contracts, pay records, and emails about late payments. Then, they can file with the TFF’s Arbitration Board or straight to FIFA’s DRC for cases involving other countries.
For local issues, they might use civil courts through the Istanbul Arbitration Centre (ISTAC) or the Execution and Bankruptcy Law (No. 2004) to freeze club assets until payment. Big cases, like those with Beşiktaş and overseas players at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), show this system works—players often get their money plus interest and lawyer fees.
But it’s tough: clubs might go broke, and non-EU players face extra legal hurdles. That’s why getting help from a sports law expert is key to sorting it out and getting the best result.
For more information, please contact me. Below are the details for the contact information.
Erdal Nuhbasa Law and Consulting Firm
Kartaltepe Mah. Bahçesaray Sok. No:19/3 Bakırköy, Istanbul, Turkey
erdalnuhbasa@hotmail.com
www.erdalnuhbasa.com
