Transfer lawyer in Belgium
The move that makes or breaks a career
A transfer is rarely a single contract. There is an employment contract between the player and the club, a transfer agreement between two clubs, a mandate for the agent, and above all of it the rules of the federation and of FIFA. Every document refers to the others. Sign one clause loosely and you find out when the player wants to leave or the payment fails to arrive.
Everest Sports Law guides players, clubs, agents and federations through the whole move: the negotiation, the contracts, the international registration and the dispute that sometimes follows. We work from Ghent, Brussels, Antwerp and Hasselt, for Belgian football and for files that cross the border.
What a transfer lawyer in Belgium does for you
We draft and review the contracts before you sign, and we run the procedure when a party fails to keep its word.
Player contracts
We draft and negotiate the employment contract for the paid sportsperson: term, salary, bonuses, severance, renewal, and the clause that lets the player leave on an offer. We test every provision against mandatory employment law, because a clause that ties the player too tightly will not hold.
Transfer agreements between clubs
We draft the agreement between the selling and the buying club: the fixed fee, the instalments, the conditional bonuses, a sell-on percentage and the guarantees. We also settle what happens if the medical fails or the registration is not completed in time.
Agents and their fee
We draft the mandate between player and agent, and between agent and club. We fix who pays, when, and what remains of the commission if the player moves again within the year. The rules on agents are in motion, including before the courts, so we keep your contract at the current state of play.
International registration
A player arriving from abroad needs an international transfer certificate. We follow the request through FIFA’s system, watch the closing of the transfer window and handle the refusal or the objection a former club sometimes raises.
Training compensation and solidarity
A club that trained a young player is entitled to compensation when that player signs professionally elsewhere, and to a share of every later transfer fee. We calculate the amounts, file the claim and defend it when the paying club disputes the training years.
Minors
For a player under eighteen, international transfer is prohibited, with a short list of exceptions. We assess in advance whether the file fits an exception, assemble it and guide the family. A mistake here costs the club a transfer ban.
How a case runs
Who decides
A dispute between a club and a player over salary or breach of contract goes to the labour court or to the arbitral body the contract names. International transfer disputes go to FIFA’s judicial bodies, with appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
Deadlines
Transfer windows are short and hard: outside them no registration goes through. An appeal against a decision of a sports body usually has to be filed within weeks. Tell us as soon as an offer or a complaint is on the table, not when the deadline is nearly gone.
What to do first
Collect everything that was signed: the player contract with all annexes, the mandate to the agent, the proof of payment and the full exchange of messages. Sign nothing new and terminate nothing before you have legal advice. The first letter sets the tone of the whole case.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change clubs outside the transfer window?
No. A move is only possible within the registration periods, and outside those windows no registration goes through. A signature that arrives a few hours late costs a full window. Plan the administrative step as carefully as the negotiation.
What is an international transfer certificate and who applies for it?
A player arriving from abroad needs an international transfer certificate. The request runs between the federations, through FIFA’s system. We follow that request, watch the closing of the transfer window and handle the refusal or the objection a former club sometimes raises.
When is my training club entitled to compensation?
A club that trained a young player is entitled to training compensation when that player signs professionally elsewhere, and to a share of every later transfer fee through the solidarity contribution. Those amounts are often forgotten in the negotiation and surface later as a claim. Map the player history before you agree a price.
Can a player under eighteen transfer internationally?
As a rule, no. For a player under eighteen international transfer is prohibited, with a short list of exceptions. We assess in advance whether the file fits an exception and assemble it. A mistake here costs the club a transfer ban.
When is an agent entitled to a commission?
An agent needs a written mandate before negotiating, with a clear duration, a clear subject and a clear fee. Fix who pays, when, and what remains of the commission if the player moves again within the year. A mandate that renews tacitly, or that serves both sides at once, leads to dispute and sometimes to disciplinary proceedings.