Dynamics of an Employment Contract in a Sports Transfer

Abstract

The paper discusses some issues that arise when the employment relationship between athletes (coaches) and sports clubs is terminated in connection with the transfer of athletes (coaches) to other employers. Termination of an employment contract concluded between an athlete (coach) and a sports club is associated with the need to comply not only with the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, but also with the regulations of all-Russian sports federations, which are not identical. Termination of the employment relationship between an employee and an employer may be due to a number of reasons established in the legislation of the Russian Federation, including the expiration of the employment contract or the will of one of its parties to terminate the employment contract early. Early termination of such an employment contract generally takes place together with compensation payments subject to certain conditions (not related to «valid reasons» for termination of employment relations), the establishment of which is carried out by competent authorities in each specific case if there is a controversial situation. An alternative to early termination of the employment contract with an athlete is a temporary transfer of the employee to another employer, which provides ample opportunities for both the employee and the employer. In this sense, the suspension of an employment contract, which is also a feature of labor relations in sports, has the potential to extend to all categories of workers.