In a globalised world of professional football, religious matters are now making their way into players’ contracts, notably through ethics clauses or requirements to respect the laws and values of the countries where the athletes play, sometimes accompanied by potential sanctions. To ensure that such clauses do not hinder the signing of employment contracts, they must be properly understood.
The question of the place of religion in the contracts of professional athletes can be analysed in light of the clauses referring to it.
It cannot be asserted that a professional athlete’s contract must entirely avoid any reference to religion, regardless of the country or federation involved, just as it cannot be imposed upon a professional athlete bound by an employment contract with a professional club to strictly adhere to the directives of the dominant religion in the club’s country.
Between these two assertions, the wording of clauses in contracts between professional football players and professional clubs reveals a gradation of expectations when a player signs with a club. Beyond the employment relationship, the player also commits to respecting both written and unwritten rules shaped by morality, binding social directives and the social, religious and political culture of a country,...
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