FIFPRO, the global representative body for professional footballers, has cautioned foreign players against signing for Egyptian clubs due to what they claim are frequent contractual disputes and abusive behavior by club officials.
“In recent times FIFPRO has seen a spike in labour conflicts in Egypt, concerning both the non-payment of salaries and abusive behaviour such as the confiscation of passports, forgery, and blackmail,” stated FIFPRO in a statement that triggered a strong response from the Egyptian Football Association (EFA).
The organization advised players not to hand over their passports to club officials, even if told it was necessary for obtaining residency or work permits, as retaining travel documents has been used to coerce players into signing termination agreements.
FIFPRO also warned against signing blank contracts and recommended retaining a signed version of the agreement while ensuring the correct currency is stipulated.
The EFA firmly rejected FIFPRO’s allegations and expressed frustration with their statement, asserting that it contained several erroneous pieces of information.
“We can confirm that even if some incidents occurred, they represent individual cases that do not apply to all Egyptian clubs,” stated the EFA in a response on Wednesday. “We have 268 foreign players in different tiers and over the past four years, we have only received two complaints regarding passport withholding. Both matters were immediately resolved after our intervention.”
However, clubs like Zamalek, Al-Ismaily, and Pharco have faced substantial fines and transfer bans in recent years due to non-payment of salaries and breaches of contracts.