The potential exploitation of non-English-speaking players in UK professional football contracts

Brown, Alexander and Baines, Roger ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3016-6533 (2019) The potential exploitation of non-English-speaking players in UK professional football contracts. The International Sports Law Journal, 19 (3-4). 205–221. ISSN 1567-7559

[thumbnail of Published_Manuscript]
Preview
PDF (Published_Manuscript) - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (972kB) | Preview
[thumbnail of ISLJ_Brown_Baines_2019]
Preview
PDF (ISLJ_Brown_Baines_2019) - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (972kB) | Preview

Abstract

The article asks whether English professional football clubs have the potential to exploit non-English speaking players during contract negotiations and signing meetings. We draw on evidence we gathered from a series of semi-structured interviews with football agents, former migrant players, and player liaison/welfare officers who currently work or have previously worked in English professional leagues. We also draw on normative insights from legal, moral, and applied ethical thought to develop a new, bespoke account of what should shock the conscience of the court. We argue that because of language barriers, non-English speaking players could end up signing unconscionable contracts, if not based on procedural or substantive unfairness, then potentially based on violations of their autonomy through deceptiveness. We also show that the current practice of players’ agents acting as ad hoc translators/interpreters raises serious ethical issues, not least lack of competency and impartiality. Following on from all this, we make a number of practical recommendations about how players’ representatives and clubs should conduct themselves, and what responsibilities they have to provide language support to non-English speaking players in contract negotiations and signing meetings.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Original working title: The Potential Exploitation of Non-Native Language Speakers in English Professional Football Contracts
Uncontrolled Keywords: applied ethics,english language proficiency,professional football,translation and interpreting,unconscionable contracts
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Language and Communication Studies
Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Policy & Politics
Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Political, Social and International Studies
Related URLs:
Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 18 Jan 2019 14:30
Last Modified: 21 Jul 2023 09:50
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/69615
DOI: 10.1007/s40318-019-00142-x

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item