Ander Herrera is a Manchester United Player!

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marjen

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I have a shite day at work and this happens in addition? Fecking Bilbao cnuts I hope they contradict a stomach virus the lot of them.
 

Xaviesta

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Buy-Out & Release Clauses in Football Contracts: The Basics


This is a brief blog on the issue of buy-out and release clauses in football player contracts. There appears to be some confusion between the two concepts and the aim of this blog is to set out the basics with the aid of a few recent examples. For more detail on this topic, I would highly recommend Ian Lynam’s excellent blog on this topic.

What is a release clause?

It is a clause in a player’s contract that, subject to qualifying conditions (i.e. a particular transfer window or non-participation in the Champions League), automatically requires a club to accept an offer of a pre-determined contractual amount expressly set out in the contract from the offering club. If the minimum amount stipulated in the contract is triggered by a the purchasing club, the player will be entitled to speak to that club.

Examples of release clauses

Only a few Premier League transfers have been reported to have included release clauses. This was the case with the Demba Ba transfer from Newcastle to Chelsea and Joe Allen from Swansea to Liverpool In the case of Allen, reports were that the bid could only trigger the release clause if it came from one of five clubs that included Liverpool.

What is the difference between buy-out and release clauses?

Buy-out clauses are prevalent in Spain and are somewhat different to a release clause. They are a mandatory element of most Spanish contracts and are usually set at a very high figure which is not necessarily the true market value of the player. The player has to literally ‘buy out’ his contract at the stipulated amount, though in practice, it is the purchasing club who pays the amount via the player. This can be a complicated process because of the practical tax logistics of a purchasing club transferring the ‘buy-out’ fee to the player who will in turn buy out his contract. We saw this with Manchester United’s reported failed bid with Anders Herrera and Javi Martinez’s successful transfer to Bayern Munich.

One such example of what the Court of Arbitration for Sport called a ‘buy-out clause’ but may be in fact closer to a ‘release clause’ became publically available in the case of Matuzalem (CAS 2008/A/1519) – at paragraph 70 which stated:

“The relevant part of clause 3.3 of the employment contract between Player and Shakhtar Donetsk reads as follows: “During the validity of the Contract, the Club undertakes – in the case the Club receives a transfer offer in amount of 25,000,000 EUR or exceeding the some [recte: sum] above the Club undertakes to arrange the transfer within the agreed period.”

What happened with Luis Suarez?

During the summer transfer window, the PFA reported that the contractual provision in Suarez’s contract with Liverpool was a ‘good faith’ release clause rather than an automatic release clause. The two are quite different. With an automatic release clause, player ‘y’ must be allowed to speak to purchasing club ‘x’ if the minimum release amount is offered. A ‘good faith’ clause means the parties are required to negotiate in good faith once a bid has been made. Importantly, a good faith clause does not automatically trigger the selling club to accept the offer.

The PFA were reported to have been arbitrating between the player and the club, and explaining to the player the likelihood of the clause standing up to a robust legal examination. As such, it was considered by the PFA that the clause was not an automatic release clause.

Are release clauses meaningless?

I do not believe release clauses have ever been tested from a European law, restriction of trade perspective but they are included in contracts for a specific reason. If an automatic release amount is triggered, a club will be contractually bound to accept the amount offered.

If the club who has the player’s registration refuse to release him, then it is likely an arbitration process would follow between the two clubs to assess the validity of the release clause. In the case of a dispute between two Premier League clubs, if a Premier League tribunal viewed the contractual provision as an automatic release clause, the potential purchasing club would be allowed to speak to the player and proceed with the transfer. The only way there may be an issue with a release clause in the UK would be if the clause was so high that it was far beyond the market value of the player. A player may argue that the he would be restricted from moving to another club because the release fee was too extortionate.

Is there scope for release clauses in future?

There may well be instances where a player is willing to move down the football ladder to get more visibility and playing time in the short term, on the condition that a release clause is inserted into his contract, so that if he plays well a bigger club can then trigger the predetermined release clause.
well that'll clear things up for those who believe release clauses and buyout clauses are virtually the same.
 

golden_blunder

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The problem is, it was our official photographer who said he was in Carrington, and i'm sure he'd probably know if that was the case or not. I've met Craig, and I know he's a pretty trustworthy guy. He's not the type to just make stuff up for no reason at all. Either he saw him with his own eyes, or he's been fed some misinformation that others have picked up on, but he wasn't the first person to report that Herrera was in England if I remember correctly.
I am surprised that the club dont have some kind of confidentiality agreement in place, that he cant start talking on Twitter about things he sees
 

Nytram Shakes

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I'm not sure if I am correct here but he's planning on breaching his contract so it wouldn't really matter.
legally i dunno, no one really seaon to no 100% how it works.

but ethically no i dont think we should have another clubs player at our club without thier permission, before the paper work is sealed for him to leave bilbao which ever way it ends up been done
 

Suus

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How can Bilbao reject the offer when another club triggers the release clause? According to several reports, they've rejected the triggering of the clause. In contractual terms this makes absolutely no sense to me.
 

JustAFan

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Well in this case it does seem the player does want to come it is his current club that is holding it, so seeing some of the posts talking about players not wanting to come here seems out of place is this particular case.
 

Sparky Rhiwabon

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Hold on, on Champ Manager, if you tried to reject a bid that met the release clause it wouldn't let you - how have Bilbao done this???
 

Enigma_87

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which is my point, if the deal hasn't been approved, so he is still a bilbao player, so shouln't be at our traing ground without thier permission
Why wouldn't anyone be at Carrington if he's playing for other team? Is there some kind of 50 m no trespass zone or? It's not like he's played a competitive game for us...

Players train with other teams from time to time I don't think they get sued afterwards..
 

JustAFan

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How can Bilbao reject the offer when another club triggers the release clause? According to several reports, they've rejected the triggering of the clause. In contractual terms this makes absolutely no sense to me.
Obviously it must not be as simple as you are making it out since they apparrantly can and did reject the offer.
 

DomesticTadpole

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Infrastructure, better wages, cheaper tickets for the fans? If they deem the money more important to the club's future I'd guess they will probably accept the money. It's just that they have a much higher ceiling for that than the average club. Have they never willingly sold a player before (honest question)?
All this might actually make their attempts at recruiting Basque players harder. Some might be wary of feeling they are going to be trapped at a club. It is almost like pre-minimum wage clubs here, players were just property not human beings.
 

Berbaclass

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legally i dunno, no one really seaon to no 100% how it works.

but ethically no i dont think we should have another clubs player at our club without thier permission, before the paper work is sealed for him to leave bilbao which ever way it ends up been done
They just know that time is against them with the upcoming increase in the clause so have got pretty much everything done apart from the technicalities beforehand to make it run smoother.
 

Miscemayl

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How can Bilbao reject the offer when another club triggers the release clause? According to several reports, they've rejected the triggering of the clause. In contractual terms this makes absolutely no sense to me.
Hold on, on Champ Manager, if you tried to reject a bid that met the release clause it wouldn't let you - how have Bilbao done this???
It's not a release clause
 

Berbaclass

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Hold on, on Champ Manager, if you tried to reject a bid that met the release clause it wouldn't let you - how have Bilbao done this???
I dont think there is such thing as a buyout clause on FM/CM. There is a release clause but that is a slightly different thing.
 

Nytram Shakes

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Why wouldn't anyone be at Carrington if he's playing for other team? Is there some kind of 50 m no trespass zone or? It's not like he's played a competitive game for us...

Players train with other teams from time to time I don't think they get sued afterwards..
well was it such a big deal that odemwingie turned up at QPR with out permission?

i get that it is a diffent legal standpoint with us buying out the contract, but ethically it is still having a player at your club disucssing a deal before a deal is inplace to buy him.
 

tombombadil

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Well depends really. When the player is not proven Bilbao may twist his hands with a higher release clause - Herrera, Llorente, Martinez. In our case the price is way to steep, hence the 1 year and so stall in the transfer.

But if for example there is an incredibly talented basque player in the ranks like Rooney or Ronaldo for example he'd need 1 or 2 years to shine at top level to propel his career. In that case and with this policy I don't think they have shot with him. He'd much rather go to Sociedad(of course if they want him) or outside Basque province...
The fact is, both sides have to agree the amount. It's not a unilateral price that the club forces on a player. Besides that, these things have to happen with good faith from both parties. If not, the player wouldn't be sticking around.

which is my point, if the deal hasn't been approved, so he is still a bilbao player, so shouln't be at our traing ground without thier permission
Maybe his status is in limbo, therefore it doesn't matter? Maybe it is part of standard procedure? Maybe the player intends to terminate the contract and pay full compensation (or already did) and so it doesn't matter?

The fact is, if it really is a problem, you can bet Bilbao would have lodged a complaint with UEFA already. They didn't.
 

Berbaclass

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How can Bilbao reject the offer when another club triggers the release clause? According to several reports, they've rejected the triggering of the clause. In contractual terms this makes absolutely no sense to me.
We made a bid to try and save time but they are playing hardball so rejected it. The buyout clause lies with the LFP which we have now deposited apparently.
 

Brownie85

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How can Bilbao reject the offer when another club triggers the release clause? According to several reports, they've rejected the triggering of the clause. In contractual terms this makes absolutely no sense to me.
It's not a release clause, it's a buy-out clause, so Bilbao can reject any amount of money they receive, a bid won't trigger anything.

On that note, i'm off out for a bit. I'm betting when I get back later this thread will have quite a few extra pages lol
 

The Neviller

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1. This is a new low, managing to have a bid matching release clause rejected. :lol:

2. Athletic can go :cool: themselves.
How is it a low, exactly? If I want to buy something you don't want to sell, but that I can take against your will if a certain stipulation is met, and you want to be seen to not be selling, would you accept or reject a bid?

It's face saving from Bilbao, and a statement being made. "We don't sell our players. If you want them, then go down the contract breaching route".

Our bid was a mere formality, allowing them to have the option of accepting or rejecting, but knowing that if they rejected we'd have the more complicated route to still make the transfer happen. It's not a standard "bid x amount and we have to sell him to you" buy-out clause.
 

Revan

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All this might actually make their attempts at recruiting Basque players harder. Some might be wary of feeling they are going to be trapped at a club. It is almost like pre-minimum wage clubs here, players were just property not human beings.
Hi Mr. Blatter, can you please change the 2022 World Cup host?

Herrera chose this himself. He could have continued staying on Zaragosa, or go to Sociedad or go to a lot of other clubs there. He chose to go to the biggest Basque club and likely ke knew how they deal. It is a bit shite that they aren't accepting the bid despite that they have an agreement with him that they'll let him leave for 36m EUR but there is nothing like players being property.
 

Welsh Wonder

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Does the amount still reach the release clause given the small amount (4% I think) that will be due to Zaragoza? I'd imagine that'll be a technicality Bilbao would use to scab a few extra quid off us.
 

mcGonigle

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Not saying it would happen but if he is buying out his contract and becoming a free agent, is there a theoretical risk we could be gazumped in that period where he is clubless? Even though we gave or loaned him the money to buy out the contract, presumably he wouldnt have a legal obligation to sign for us?
Im still waiting on Chelsea to swoop in and teach us the lesson he thought Spurs :wenger:
 

The Neviller

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How can Bilbao reject the offer when another club triggers the release clause? According to several reports, they've rejected the triggering of the clause. In contractual terms this makes absolutely no sense to me.
They've rejected a bid to the value of the compensation payment that would be due if HE breaches his contract. It's not a buy-out clause where they have to sell at a certain fee. We've obviously bid the same amount, hoping they'd accept the same amount they'd be getting anyway, but they've rejected our bid (to show they aren't a selling club) leaving us with the option of having him buy out his contract.
 

Berbaclass

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Does the amount still reach the release clause given the small amount (4% I think) that will be due to Zaragoza? I'd imagine that'll be a technicality Bilbao would use to scab a few extra quid off us.
I dont think its anything to do with us. We pay the buyout to the LFP, terminating his contract. I think that the LFP would then give it to the relevant team/s.
 

RedStarUnited

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Buy-Out & Release Clauses in Football Contracts: The Basics


This is a brief blog on the issue of buy-out and release clauses in football player contracts. There appears to be some confusion between the two concepts and the aim of this blog is to set out the basics with the aid of a few recent examples. For more detail on this topic, I would highly recommend Ian Lynam’s excellent blog on this topic.

What is a release clause?

It is a clause in a player’s contract that, subject to qualifying conditions (i.e. a particular transfer window or non-participation in the Champions League), automatically requires a club to accept an offer of a pre-determined contractual amount expressly set out in the contract from the offering club. If the minimum amount stipulated in the contract is triggered by a the purchasing club, the player will be entitled to speak to that club.

Examples of release clauses

Only a few Premier League transfers have been reported to have included release clauses. This was the case with the Demba Ba transfer from Newcastle to Chelsea and Joe Allen from Swansea to Liverpool In the case of Allen, reports were that the bid could only trigger the release clause if it came from one of five clubs that included Liverpool.

What is the difference between buy-out and release clauses?

Buy-out clauses are prevalent in Spain and are somewhat different to a release clause. They are a mandatory element of most Spanish contracts and are usually set at a very high figure which is not necessarily the true market value of the player. The player has to literally ‘buy out’ his contract at the stipulated amount, though in practice, it is the purchasing club who pays the amount via the player. This can be a complicated process because of the practical tax logistics of a purchasing club transferring the ‘buy-out’ fee to the player who will in turn buy out his contract. We saw this with Manchester United’s reported failed bid with Anders Herrera and Javi Martinez’s successful transfer to Bayern Munich.

One such example of what the Court of Arbitration for Sport called a ‘buy-out clause’ but may be in fact closer to a ‘release clause’ became publically available in the case of Matuzalem (CAS 2008/A/1519) – at paragraph 70 which stated:

“The relevant part of clause 3.3 of the employment contract between Player and Shakhtar Donetsk reads as follows: “During the validity of the Contract, the Club undertakes – in the case the Club receives a transfer offer in amount of 25,000,000 EUR or exceeding the some [recte: sum] above the Club undertakes to arrange the transfer within the agreed period.”

What happened with Luis Suarez?

During the summer transfer window, the PFA reported that the contractual provision in Suarez’s contract with Liverpool was a ‘good faith’ release clause rather than an automatic release clause. The two are quite different. With an automatic release clause, player ‘y’ must be allowed to speak to purchasing club ‘x’ if the minimum release amount is offered. A ‘good faith’ clause means the parties are required to negotiate in good faith once a bid has been made. Importantly, a good faith clause does not automatically trigger the selling club to accept the offer.

The PFA were reported to have been arbitrating between the player and the club, and explaining to the player the likelihood of the clause standing up to a robust legal examination. As such, it was considered by the PFA that the clause was not an automatic release clause.


Are release clauses meaningless?

I do not believe release clauses have ever been tested from a European law, restriction of trade perspective but they are included in contracts for a specific reason. If an automatic release amount is triggered, a club will be contractually bound to accept the amount offered.

If the club who has the player’s registration refuse to release him, then it is likely an arbitration process would follow between the two clubs to assess the validity of the release clause. In the case of a dispute between two Premier League clubs, if a Premier League tribunal viewed the contractual provision as an automatic release clause, the potential purchasing club would be allowed to speak to the player and proceed with the transfer. The only way there may be an issue with a release clause in the UK would be if the clause was so high that it was far beyond the market value of the player. A player may argue that the he would be restricted from moving to another club because the release fee was too extortionate.

Is there scope for release clauses in future?

There may well be instances where a player is willing to move down the football ladder to get more visibility and playing time in the short term, on the condition that a release clause is inserted into his contract, so that if he plays well a bigger club can then trigger the predetermined release clause.
Liverpool fooked Suarez over with that clause didnt they, cheeky cnuts. A clause that literally meant nothing in real terms.
 

Nytram Shakes

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They just know that time is against them with the upcoming increase in the clause so have got pretty much everything done apart from the technicalities beforehand to make it run smoother.
it may make it run smoother, but it still having a player at your club discussing a transfer without permission from its club and with no deal firmly in place.

if that was a united player at another club we'd be pi$$ed!
so i get the reasons, both legal and logistically, but i cant say i think it ethical.
 

The Neviller

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Not saying it would happen but if he is buying out his contract and becoming a free agent, is there a theoretical risk we could be gazumped in that period where he is clubless? Even though we gave or loaned him the money to buy out the contract, presumably he wouldnt have a legal obligation to sign for us?
I'd assume there are some form of insurances whereby we don't just hand him the cash and he goes "cheers, I'm off to Real Madrid. Thanks for the £40mil and that".
 

Santos J

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legally i dunno, no one really seaon to no 100% how it works.

but ethically no i dont think we should have another clubs player at our club without thier permission, before the paper work is sealed for him to leave bilbao which ever way it ends up been done
He had a medical Sunday so there's clearly some form of acceptance from Bilbao that he's going to be coming to us fee agreed or not, if he's been at our training ground it's because they've allowed him to be or everything's sorted via the LFP and we're just waiting on official announcement. Either way, it's going to happen.
 

Berbaclass

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Yes, FM just marks them all as release clauses.

I assume because having to do taxes in a videogame may be not so fun.
Yeah
it may make it run smoother, but it still having a player at your club discussing a transfer without permission from its club and with no deal firmly in place.

if that was a united player at another club we'd be pi$$ed!
so i get the reasons, both legal and logistically, but i cant say i think it ethical.
It's because of the buyout clause. It's a breach of his contract anyway so theres no harm in bringing him over to sort things out I'd imagine.

United wouldn't be in the situation because they don't use them. Whereas in Spain it is mandatory.
 
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