On the day the first installment of Talk TV’s interview with presenter Piers Morgan airs, Manchester United owners the Glazer family, chief executive Richard Arnold and director of football John Murtough, along with manager Erik ten Hag, will discuss with their lawyers. as they wait to see the full extent of player feedback over the next 24 hours. So far, in extracts also published by the Sun newspaper and in videos watched more than 11 million times on social media, Ronaldo has accused his employers of betrayal and disrespect, hitting out at Ten Haag and the club’s hierarchy. Here’s what we know so far. But what options does the club have? How could they take a constructive step forward in the wake of the 37-year-old superstar’s embarrassing rant?
What is the highest estimate for United based on what they know?
The most important thing for United is to establish to what extent Ronaldo is in breach of his contract through his comments and what he can do as a result. All the top players sign a contract of employment in the Premier League with their clubs. According to this agreement, they are required to “comply with and act in accordance with all lawful directions of any authorized officer of the club” and are not allowed to “write or say anything likely to bring the club into disrepute … or to cause damage to the club ». Jamie Singer, a partner at sports law specialists Onside Law, believes Ronaldo may already be in breach of his standard contract. “Under the contract, there is a specific provision that talks about not saying anything that brings the club into disrepute or damages the club’s reputation,” he says. “The content of the interview immediately puts him in violation. “The standard terms also cover, where possible, notifying the club of interviews you do in advance. He could have informed the club so I would think it was probably another offence.’ United are understood to have been informed of the interview by Ronaldo’s camp on Sunday, shortly before Morgan first tweeted about it being made public, so it could be open to interpretation whether that qualifies as reasonable advance notice. “As I understand it, the standard contract does not prohibit players from doing interviews,” Singer adds. “But it forces them to try to help the club by telling them they’re doing it upfront and making sure they’re involved.” In this respect, Ronaldo is no different to any of his teammates or players at 19 other Premier League clubs. “It’s a standard Premier League contract that every Manchester United player will have signed and every club is obliged to use,” says Singer. “He (Ronaldo) will have signed these provisions. “This includes implied terms regarding trust, faith and obedience to reasonable instructions. “There is no question that what he has done puts him in breach of the standard contract. From what I’ve seen, by accusing the club of betrayal, of not keeping commitments, it’s very easy to say that he brought the club into disrepute and damaged the interests of the club.”
What might happen if United decide Ronaldo has breached his contract?
Ultimately, the club could terminate the Portuguese’s deal. Having initially rejoined United in August 2021 on a two-year deal with an option for a further year, his current terms would expire in August 2023 — assuming no extra year was agreed. However, if the United hierarchy believe that the player remaining at the club is impossible and want to try and get rid of him even in the face of appeals or further damaging publicity, there is a process they can follow. The most important thing for United is to establish the extent to which Ronaldo is breaching his contract through his comments (Photo: Dan Mullan/Getty Images) “If it violates the contract, that’s one thing,” Singer adds. “But if it’s such a fundamental breach of contract that it can lead to a complaint, that’s another level. “You can’t tell from a few clips and quotes out of context, so it makes sense for United and their legal team to know exactly what’s being said and then make a decision.” United may be better advised to follow the established process as they would with any potential breach of contract and consider all their options. “There is a disciplinary process and if someone breaches the contract by doing something they shouldn’t, the club has the discretion to fine the player and impose a penalty,” Singer explains. A high-profile precedent is former United striker Romelu Lukaku. The striker gave an explosive interview to Sky Italia last season, criticizing Chelsea’s behavior when he was not playing regularly. Thomas Tuchel, then the Chelsea manager, said Lukaku would face “some disciplinary action” for the interview but, unlike Ronaldo, this was a £90m signing just months earlier. Lukaku, who also apologized for his interview, is now on a season-long loan back at Inter Milan, the club he left for Chelsea. “If it’s serious or the player disagrees, go to the disciplinary process where the player has an opportunity to defend himself,” says Singer. “The club will say what they think they’ve done wrong, they can argue they don’t think they’ve done anything wrong and then it will go to the club’s board to decide what the penalty is or if there’s a penalty at all. “In this situation, it would be an internal hearing and potentially we get to a situation where he has committed serious misconduct and they can terminate the contract. “Or if they think there’s so much here, they could cut it short and say they don’t need a disciplinary process. They may argue that it is so clear and obvious that this is serious misconduct that they would go straight for termination with 14 days’ notice.’
Are there any examples of players having their contracts terminated?
In August 2011, Hull City released record signing Jimmy Bullard following an incident on a pre-season trip to Slovenia. Bullard had a lucrative deal until the end of the 2012–13 season and it led to a legal dispute between him and the club. The former midfielder was eventually reported to have accepted a deal and both parties signed non-disclosure agreements. In 2014, Nicolas Anelka was sacked by West Bromwich Albion for gross misconduct. Anelka – who was banned for five games and fined £80,000 by the Football Association for his gesture at West Ham – had announced on Twitter that he was terminating his contract, which had three-and-a-half months to run. Anelka was sacked by West Brom in 2014 for gross misconduct (Photo: John Walton – PA Images via Getty Images) The club had suspended the Frenchman on full pay following the FA’s verdict and planned to complete their own investigation. West Brom initially said his statement on Twitter was “highly unprofessional”. Three hours later, the club revealed they had written to Anelka giving him 14 days’ notice of termination, as required by his contract. They said Anelka had failed to apologize for “the impact and consequences of his gesture (quenelle)” or accept a significant fine, which would have resulted in his suspension being lifted. Singer believes United would be better advised to go ahead with the whole process, however angry they feel about the interview. “The safest route is to go through the process of a disciplinary hearing, we’ll set it up and you can defend yourself,” he says. “Then we decide on the sanction. “If he is found guilty of gross misconduct, which is very rare, the player can appeal to the Premier League. What makes this unusual is that usually the value of a player’s registration is so significant. It is unusual for a club to terminate a player’s registration contract due to the value of his registration. “But here they are paying him hundreds of thousands a week and they won’t be able to sell him for a big transfer fee. This changes the dynamic a lot. “To save £400,000 a week it might be worth going down that route. There’s enough incendiary stuff in what we’ve seen that it probably warrants gross misconduct. “They would probably want to go through a disciplinary process to protect themselves from any claims that it wasn’t a proper and fair process. Knowing that Ronaldo would probably challenge them, they have another layer of protection then.”
So what might the end result be?
Despite the possibility of tearing up his contract, United may opt to keep things amicable and quiet. Along with criticizing the facilities at United’s training ground and a number of other damaging remarks about its culture, Ronaldo accused the club of showing a lack of “empathy” when his young daughter was hospitalized in July. Simon Leaf, head of sport at law firm Mishcon de Reya, believes settling the matter privately could be the best way for the club to limit any further embarrassment. “The club is caught between a rock and a hard place,” he says. “(A) right to terminate is subject to Ronaldo’s right to appeal — especially as it appears to suggest that United are in breach of their own duties to take reasonable steps to protect the health and safety of their employees, which may extend to in allowing Ronaldo time off in such difficult circumstances. “There is no easy answer to this particular legal dispute and, from experience, one suspects that given the sums involved in wages and a potential transfer fee that may be lost,…
title: “Cristiano Ronaldo The Legal Position And Whether Manchester United Could Terminate His Contract " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-24” author: “Jason Cook”
On the day the first installment of Talk TV’s interview with presenter Piers Morgan airs, Manchester United owners the Glazer family, chief executive Richard Arnold and director of football John Murtough, along with manager Erik ten Hag, will discuss with their lawyers. as they wait to see the full extent of player feedback over the next 24 hours. So far, in extracts also published by the Sun newspaper and in videos watched more than 11 million times on social media, Ronaldo has accused his employers of betrayal and disrespect, hitting out at Ten Haag and the club’s hierarchy. Here’s what we know so far. But what options does the club have? How could they take a constructive step forward in the wake of the 37-year-old superstar’s embarrassing rant?
What is the highest estimate for United based on what they know?
The most important thing for United is to establish to what extent Ronaldo is in breach of his contract through his comments and what he can do as a result. All the top players sign a contract of employment in the Premier League with their clubs. According to this agreement, they are required to “comply with and act in accordance with all lawful directions of any authorized officer of the club” and are not allowed to “write or say anything likely to bring the club into disrepute … or to cause damage to the club ». Jamie Singer, a partner at sports law specialists Onside Law, believes Ronaldo may already be in breach of his standard contract. “Under the contract, there is a specific provision that talks about not saying anything that brings the club into disrepute or damages the club’s reputation,” he says. “The content of the interview immediately puts him in violation. “The standard terms also cover, where possible, notifying the club of interviews you do in advance. He could have informed the club so I would think it was probably another offence.’ United are understood to have been informed of the interview by Ronaldo’s camp on Sunday, shortly before Morgan first tweeted about it being made public, so it could be open to interpretation whether that qualifies as reasonable advance notice. “As I understand it, the standard contract does not prohibit players from doing interviews,” Singer adds. “But it forces them to try to help the club by telling them they’re doing it upfront and making sure they’re involved.” In this respect, Ronaldo is no different to any of his teammates or players at 19 other Premier League clubs. “It’s a standard Premier League contract that every Manchester United player will have signed and every club is obliged to use,” says Singer. “He (Ronaldo) will have signed these provisions. “This includes implied terms regarding trust, faith and obedience to reasonable instructions. “There is no question that what he has done puts him in breach of the standard contract. From what I’ve seen, by accusing the club of betrayal, of not keeping commitments, it’s very easy to say that he brought the club into disrepute and damaged the interests of the club.”
What might happen if United decide Ronaldo has breached his contract?
Ultimately, the club could terminate the Portuguese’s deal. Having initially rejoined United in August 2021 on a two-year deal with an option for a further year, his current terms would expire in August 2023 — assuming no extra year was agreed. However, if the United hierarchy believe that the player remaining at the club is impossible and want to try and get rid of him even in the face of appeals or further damaging publicity, there is a process they can follow. The most important thing for United is to establish the extent to which Ronaldo is breaching his contract through his comments (Photo: Dan Mullan/Getty Images) “If it violates the contract, that’s one thing,” Singer adds. “But if it’s such a fundamental breach of contract that it can lead to a complaint, that’s another level. “You can’t tell from a few clips and quotes out of context, so it makes sense for United and their legal team to know exactly what’s being said and then make a decision.” United may be better advised to follow the established process as they would with any potential breach of contract and consider all their options. “There is a disciplinary process and if someone breaches the contract by doing something they shouldn’t, the club has the discretion to fine the player and impose a penalty,” Singer explains. A high-profile precedent is former United striker Romelu Lukaku. The striker gave an explosive interview to Sky Italia last season, criticizing Chelsea’s behavior when he was not playing regularly. Thomas Tuchel, then the Chelsea manager, said Lukaku would face “some disciplinary action” for the interview but, unlike Ronaldo, this was a £90m signing just months earlier. Lukaku, who also apologized for his interview, is now on a season-long loan back at Inter Milan, the club he left for Chelsea. “If it’s serious or the player disagrees, go to the disciplinary process where the player has an opportunity to defend himself,” says Singer. “The club will say what they think they’ve done wrong, they can argue they don’t think they’ve done anything wrong and then it will go to the club’s board to decide what the penalty is or if there’s a penalty at all. “In this situation, it would be an internal hearing and potentially we get to a situation where he has committed serious misconduct and they can terminate the contract. “Or if they think there’s so much here, they could cut it short and say they don’t need a disciplinary process. They may argue that it is so clear and obvious that this is serious misconduct that they would go straight for termination with 14 days’ notice.’
Are there any examples of players having their contracts terminated?
In August 2011, Hull City released record signing Jimmy Bullard following an incident on a pre-season trip to Slovenia. Bullard had a lucrative deal until the end of the 2012–13 season and it led to a legal dispute between him and the club. The former midfielder was eventually reported to have accepted a deal and both parties signed non-disclosure agreements. In 2014, Nicolas Anelka was sacked by West Bromwich Albion for gross misconduct. Anelka – who was banned for five games and fined £80,000 by the Football Association for his gesture at West Ham – had announced on Twitter that he was terminating his contract, which had three-and-a-half months to run. Anelka was sacked by West Brom in 2014 for gross misconduct (Photo: John Walton – PA Images via Getty Images) The club had suspended the Frenchman on full pay following the FA’s verdict and planned to complete their own investigation. West Brom initially said his statement on Twitter was “highly unprofessional”. Three hours later, the club revealed they had written to Anelka giving him 14 days’ notice of termination, as required by his contract. They said Anelka had failed to apologize for “the impact and consequences of his gesture (quenelle)” or accept a significant fine, which would have resulted in his suspension being lifted. Singer believes United would be better advised to go ahead with the whole process, however angry they feel about the interview. “The safest route is to go through the process of a disciplinary hearing, we’ll set it up and you can defend yourself,” he says. “Then we decide on the sanction. “If he is found guilty of gross misconduct, which is very rare, the player can appeal to the Premier League. What makes this unusual is that usually the value of a player’s registration is so significant. It is unusual for a club to terminate a player’s registration contract due to the value of his registration. “But here they are paying him hundreds of thousands a week and they won’t be able to sell him for a big transfer fee. This changes the dynamic a lot. “To save £400,000 a week it might be worth going down that route. There’s enough incendiary stuff in what we’ve seen that it probably warrants gross misconduct. “They would probably want to go through a disciplinary process to protect themselves from any claims that it wasn’t a proper and fair process. Knowing that Ronaldo would probably challenge them, they have another layer of protection then.”
So what might the end result be?
Despite the possibility of tearing up his contract, United may opt to keep things amicable and quiet. Along with criticizing the facilities at United’s training ground and a number of other damaging remarks about its culture, Ronaldo accused the club of showing a lack of “empathy” when his young daughter was hospitalized in July. Simon Leaf, head of sport at law firm Mishcon de Reya, believes settling the matter privately could be the best way for the club to limit any further embarrassment. “The club is caught between a rock and a hard place,” he says. “(A) right to terminate is subject to Ronaldo’s right to appeal — especially as it appears to suggest that United are in breach of their own duties to take reasonable steps to protect the health and safety of their employees, which may extend to in allowing Ronaldo time off in such difficult circumstances. “There is no easy answer to this particular legal dispute and, from experience, one suspects that given the sums involved in wages and a potential transfer fee that may be lost,…
