The Bosman Ruling

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 04/08/2000

The Bosman Ruling

This week David Peasgood finds Ted and Bert sat on their park bench, considering the question of the Bosman ruling.
Hear their views and YOU decide in our latest 'fishy' poll.

TED:
That Bosman bloke. He's ruined football.

BERT:
How do you mean?

TED:
Players now at the end of their contracts can go to other clubs and instead of the club getting a transfer fee, the player gets a healthy wadge in his own back-pocket.

BERT:
What's wrong with that then?

TED:
Well it's unfair. The clubs have invested time and money training and developing their players. They deserve a payback when the players go.

BERT:
They get one if the player leaves when he's under contract. A transfer fee. All Bosman's done is forced clubs to give out new contracts and stop them from leaving players out in the cold and wondering where their next jobs coming from. At least with the Bosman ruling they have time to shop around.

TED:
That sounds good in theory but the reality is the players are refusing the new contracts or forcing the clubs to pay them a big re-signing on fee and clubs like Grimsby that aren't flush with cash, can't afford Bosman players fees.

BERT:
I don't see why not. You either pay the player or you pay the club, where's the difference? Anyway, the player takes less than you'd have paid in transfers

TED:
I still say it's unfair. Look at Liverpool and McManaman. They could have got 10 million for selling him under contract and they ended up with nowt. He turned down endless contracts cos he knew he could make himself a millionaire going to a new club on a free. No loyalty. Bosman intended to help the lower end of the players market and the lads who were borderline and needed new contracts. He's ended up just lining the pockets of the already greedy top players.

BERT:
I don't know. I reckon he's done all footballers a favour.

TED:
He might have done the players a favour, but not the clubs. Players have too much power these days, and Bosman has made it worse. Small clubs like Crewe and even Grimsby, rely on a youth policy and bringing youngsters up to scratch so as to be an investment they can cash in when they need money, Like Crofty and Oster. Bosman is ruining that and small clubs will go broke.

BERT:
Would you go back to the old days then? Maximum wage and get a part time job in the summer?

TED:
Not at all, but I wouldn't pay individuals 50 or 60 thousand a week. It'll bankrupt clubs and people find it obscene. It doesn't help football's image.

BERT:
If the clubs can afford it then they can pay it. If they can't afford it then they are daft to pay it..

TED:
Sometimes they have no choice if they want to compete. They stretch themselves to the limit and then struggle when things go a bit wrong.

BERT:
Well Buckley doesn't deal with Bosman players. He obviously thinks Bosman was a bad thing for football. What does everyone else think?

Now for the vote...

Was Bosman a good thing for football?

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