Post by QPR Report on Dec 11, 2009 8:13:40 GMT
No specific instances referred to!
From The Times
December 11, 2009
Football cannot be a law unto itself
Analysis: Jonathan Chamberlain
Employment law doesn’t apply to football — or at least, football thinks so. You can understand why — in what other walk of life are the employees bought and sold?
And how many modern managers would dare give their employees the “hairdryer” treatment?
But such is football. It’s all part of the game, apparently. Or it is until someone’s had enough. One day they will.
Because different rules don’t apply in the dressing room or even on the pitch. It’s a workplace, like any other. Constant abuse and foul language (the stock in trade of many a manager, if television is to be believed) are unlawful.
A manager might be allowed a bit of leeway. A court would take notice that when you sign up as a footballer, you expect a bit of rough treatment, but that only goes so far and not nearly as far as many managers, players and fans seem to assume.
If fans think dressing rooms are no place for shrinking violets, they should take a walk on the trading floors of the City. The courts have ruled that just because the traders earn vast sums of money, that doesn’t entitle their bosses to scream at them all day or for them to shout abuse at their colleagues.
Violence? A red card in the courts as much as on the pitch. The perpetrator might apologise — they often do — but that doesn’t wipe the slate clean as far as the law is concerned (that’s the real law — not football’s version).
But so what? Football’s got so much cash any claim would be bought off long before it got to court. Maybe, but employment tribunals can award unlimited compensation for sexual, racial or homophobic abuse. Anyone ever seen any of that on a football field . . . ?
? Jonathan Chamberlain is a partner in Wragge & Co’s employment team
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article6952324.ece
From The Times
December 11, 2009
Football cannot be a law unto itself
Analysis: Jonathan Chamberlain
Employment law doesn’t apply to football — or at least, football thinks so. You can understand why — in what other walk of life are the employees bought and sold?
And how many modern managers would dare give their employees the “hairdryer” treatment?
But such is football. It’s all part of the game, apparently. Or it is until someone’s had enough. One day they will.
Because different rules don’t apply in the dressing room or even on the pitch. It’s a workplace, like any other. Constant abuse and foul language (the stock in trade of many a manager, if television is to be believed) are unlawful.
A manager might be allowed a bit of leeway. A court would take notice that when you sign up as a footballer, you expect a bit of rough treatment, but that only goes so far and not nearly as far as many managers, players and fans seem to assume.
If fans think dressing rooms are no place for shrinking violets, they should take a walk on the trading floors of the City. The courts have ruled that just because the traders earn vast sums of money, that doesn’t entitle their bosses to scream at them all day or for them to shout abuse at their colleagues.
Violence? A red card in the courts as much as on the pitch. The perpetrator might apologise — they often do — but that doesn’t wipe the slate clean as far as the law is concerned (that’s the real law — not football’s version).
But so what? Football’s got so much cash any claim would be bought off long before it got to court. Maybe, but employment tribunals can award unlimited compensation for sexual, racial or homophobic abuse. Anyone ever seen any of that on a football field . . . ?
? Jonathan Chamberlain is a partner in Wragge & Co’s employment team
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/article6952324.ece