What Do We Determine in the Initial Assessment?
The federation rules a contract is subject to and how it will be registered matter as much as its economic terms. Before signing, the net or gross nature of the pay, the payment schedule, the conditions for earning a bonus, termination and the dispute resolution clause should be read together. Legal support from a lawyer is for legal assessment and representation; it should not be understood as a licensed agency service or a player placement service.
Legal services for athletes
The relationships of professional and amateur athletes with clubs, federations, agents, sponsors and third parties are assessed in light of the athlete’s career plan, contract term, pay structure, health status, likelihood of transfer and international mobility.
Scope of services:
- Preparing and reviewing professional athlete contracts
- Regulating pay, bonuses, signing fees, success bonuses and other financial rights
- Extension, suspension and termination of the contract, and the conditions for termination for just cause
- Disputes with the club over pay, being excluded from the squad, being kept out of training and registration
- Transfer offers and negotiations on a contract with the new club
- Defense in disciplinary, doping, license and eligibility processes
- Sponsorship, advertising, social media, name, image and voice use agreements
- Reviewing athlete agency or representation agreements
- Disputes over injury, insurance, treatment, rehabilitation and loss of career
- Contract, work and residence procedures in Türkiye for foreign athletes
Professional football player contracts and transfers
Football player contracts and transfer procedures are handled by taking the instructions of the Turkish Football Federation (Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu, TFF) into account together with the FIFA regulations where there is an international element. Registration, the transfer window, player eligibility, termination, sporting sanctions and financial obligations matter as much as signing the contract.
Scope of services:
- Preparing and reviewing the professional football player contract and the registration process
- Release (bonservis), loan and permanent transfer agreements
- Provisions on pay, per-match payments, bonuses, loyalty bonuses and success bonuses
- Share of the sale, subsequent sale price, buy-back and priority rights
- Termination of the contract with or without just cause and its sporting consequences
- Registration, transfer bans, player eligibility and foreign player rules
- Legal aspects of the FIFA Transfer Matching System and international transfer certificate processes
- Transfer disputes among the player, club, coach and agent
- Applications to the TFF Dispute Resolution Committee and Arbitration Committee
- Disputes before the FIFA Football Tribunal and the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Because season statuses, transfer windows, foreign player conditions and financial limits can change, each transaction is separately checked against the current TFF and FIFA regulations.
Football agency, athlete representation and intermediary agreements
In agency and representation relationships, the license, the written contract, the scope of representation, fees, term, exclusivity, representation of more than one party, conflicts of interest and protection of minors must be regulated clearly.
Scope of services:
- Reviewing compliance with the FIFA and TFF agency regulations
- Preparing a representation agreement on behalf of an athlete, coach, club or agent
- Assessing license, registration, notification and ongoing professional obligations
- Disputes over the agent’s fee, the timing of payment and fee claims
- Provisions on exclusivity, non-competition, confidentiality and termination
- Assessing multiple representation, conflicts of interest and informed consent
- Representation and parental consent procedures for young athletes
- Disputes before the FIFA Agents Chamber and the relevant national sports judicial bodies
Because agency regulations can change quickly at the national and international level, the provisions in force on the date of the contract and any rules whose application has been suspended must be separately verified.
Young athletes, youth development, training compensation and solidarity contribution
In transactions with child and young athletes, education, health, safety, personal data, the consent of the parent or legal representative and the limits on international transfers must be considered as much as career development.
Scope of services:
- Contracts of young athletes and consents of the legal representative
- Athlete well-being, child protection and safe sport policies
- Academy and youth development education agreements
- Conditions for national and international transfers of minors
- Claims for training compensation and solidarity contribution
- Disputes over the electronic player passport and education history
- Legal oversight of education, housing, travel, health and data processing procedures
- Protective processes in allegations of abuse, neglect, harassment and boundary violations
Coaches, technical staff, referees and sports employees
The status of coaches, head coaches, conditioning coaches, medical staff, referees and other sports employees may vary according to the regulations of each sport and the nature of the contract.
Scope of services:
- Preparing contracts for coaches and technical staff
- License, classification, equivalence and working conditions
- Disputes over pay, bonuses, termination, change of duties and contract term
- Disciplinary and status procedures connected with decisions of referees and observers
- Provisions on authority, confidentiality and responsibility of the medical and performance team
- Work permit processes for foreign coaches and technical personnel
- Applications before federations and sports judicial bodies
Employment law, social security, tax and foreign athletes
The legal status of an athlete and of a sports employee is determined by the work performed, the relationship of subordination, the regulations of the sport and the contract. The title of a contract alone does not determine whether it is an employment, service or freelance relationship.
Scope of services:
- Contracts of athletes, coaches, technical staff and club employees
- Disputes over pay, bonuses, leave, termination and employee receivables
- Social security notifications and determination of service periods
- Taxation of athletes’ pay and disputes over deductions
- Legal assessment of the tax nature of sponsorship, image rights, prize and transfer payments
- Work and residence permits for foreign athletes, coaches and employees
- Double taxation treaties and international payment relationships
- Clubs’ tax and social security (SGK) debts, restructuring and disputes
Tax calculations and financial reports are prepared by the relevant financial experts; the legal structure and disputes are assessed by the lawyer.
Critical Distinctions in Termination, Representation and Employment Status
Before taking a unilateral step over unpaid pay, the content of the formal notice, its addressee, the delivery record and the waiting period that applies are checked. A federation application, the collection of the claim and registration with a new club can lead to different outcomes. When a release or settlement is signed, the period and the claims being waived must be stated clearly.
It is not accurate to publish a single rate for agent fees. The FIFA and TFF provisions applicable on the date of the transaction, the effect of court decisions and the international nature of the contract are checked together. In the transfer of minors, parental consent alone is not accepted as sufficient; training compensation and solidarity contribution are separate rights.
Article 4 of Labor Law No. 4857 excludes athletes from its scope. This is not extended to all club personnel; the actual work and the contract of a coach and of other employees are reviewed separately. The assessment of social security and of the competent court must also be made independently of this. The existence of a work permit exemption for a foreign athlete or coach does not remove the required documents and the opinion procedures.
Training Compensation and Solidarity Contribution
The debtor of these claims is determined by the player’s age, education history, the type of transfer and whether it is national or international. No fixed rate or payment outcome is stated without reviewing the player passport and the registration records.
Our Approach in This Area
We compare the conditions for earning pay and bonuses against the payment schedule, and the termination notice against the contract and the registration records. In negotiations on a new contract or a settlement, we separately review the rights to be waived, the authority to represent and the transfer calendar.
As Güneş & Güneş Law Firm, from our Antalya office we plan files across Türkiye according to the conditions of jurisdiction and representation. Acceptance of the matter, fees and separate expenses, and the method of keeping you informed are determined in advance. For matters with a foreign element, communication is available in Turkish, English, German and Russian; the need for local representation in a foreign country is assessed separately.
Information Needed at the First Meeting
Prepare the sport, your capacity as a party, the contract and, if there is one, all pages of the decision. Mention the notification record and the date of the upcoming competition, transfer or defense in your first contact. File-specific documents, secure sharing and the method of representation are clarified at the meeting.