The Pan-Cyprian Football Players’ Association (PASP), which has already filed complaints with the Ministry of Labor.
In his remarks, PASP President Spyros Neophytides noted that among the most significant problems are the failure to enforce minimum wage laws and the failure to pay contributions to the Social Security Fund.
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As he noted, while the gross minimum wage is €1,088, in many cases in the lower wage categories, contracts are issued with wages of €250 and €290.
Mr. Neophytides stated that PASP has identified “far too many” such cases and announced that it would file a complaint against a Second Division club, which, according to him, did not pay a single cent to the Social Security Fund for its players last season, even though contracts totaling €290 had been filed.
He further claimed that the majority of Second and Third Division clubs do not comply with the minimum wage legislation, citing practices that, as he said, are linked to guidelines and instructions from the Cyprus Football Association (CFA). He noted that similar cases exist even in First Division clubs.
He made special mention of the issue of foreign soccer players, arguing that in many cases the required work permits are not issued. As he noted, the problem is directly linked to the implementation of the minimum wage, since the competent authorities, according to him, do not issue work permits to foreign soccer players when the declared salary is lower than the minimum wage.
The PASP President cited as a recent example two soccer players, Charles Eloundou and Joseph Osita Ogbonna, who, he said, left Menoya following the Association’s intervention due to outstanding issues with their documents and work permits, which he attributed to oversights by previous employers.
Mr. Neophytides also announced that PASP will seek a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Migration and all relevant stakeholders regarding the issue of foreign soccer players.
Referring to the guidelines issued by the Cyprus Football Association (CFA), he stated that the Federation has published a table specifying the working hours for players by division. According to him, in the First Division, working hours are set at 45 hours per week with a minimum wage of €1,088, in the Second Division, 21 hours and €465, while for professional female soccer players, the table specifies a 12-hour workweek and a minimum wage of €262.
The President of PASP characterized the latter case as a violation of European legislation on gender equality, emphasizing that, under European directives, the unique nature of the profession of a professional soccer player is recognized, but, as he said, a soccer player be considered a part-time worker.
At the same time, Mr. Neophytides noted that in some cases, soccer players do not receive copies of their employment contracts, a fact which, according to him, creates additional problems, including threats against players and issues related to match-fixing.
Finally, the PASP President referred to a new campaign the Association is planning through the “Kick Out” program, aimed at addressing various forms of abuse in sports, such as sexual and online harassment, bullying, and racist behavior.
As he explained, as part of the program, PASP staff will be trained to handle such cases, while Association members will be provided with information so they can recognize incidents of abuse and know how to seek support and immediate assistance.
