FIFPro survey reveals working conditions of Scottish footballers

A FIFPro survey has for the first time given a detailed look into the life of professional footballers around the world.

The image of those at the highest level of the game is one of extravagant lifestyles paid for by astronomical wages, with a common perception that there is a large disconnect between players and the fan in the street.

And while the World Players' Union study does detail some of those lavish examples, the aim of the survey was to "raise awareness of the realities faced by footballers - especially those who are not among the elite at the top of the sport".

The vast difference in the level of wages and resources available to Scottish clubs compared to their English counterparts has long been apparent, but this latest review goes deeper and focuses on the working conditions of footballers in 53 countries around the globe.

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Nearly 14,000 footballers worldwide took part in the questionnaire, which highlighted a number of positives for the Scottish game but some worrying themes about the Scottish game also emerged.

FIFPro survey results: Scotland

In Scotland, the report focused on Premiership and Championship clubs with 168 players participating. 

Player abuse

One of the most troubling findings was the level of threats of violence players face on a matchday from fans.

Of those surveyed, 33% said they had received threats by supporters, which is five times the global average, worse than in Zimbabwe and only two percent lower than those who play in Congo.

Scotland also came off poorly in a similar category that showed nearly a quarter of professionals have been discriminated against at games.

FIFPro "speculate that the issue of sectarianism may have played a major role" in this statistic, which showed "discrimination by fans on a matchday was 23% (against the global average of 5%) and 10% on a non-matchday (against a global average of 2%)".

In Scotland, where we speculate that the issue of sectarianism may have played a major role, nearly a quarter of players reported experiencing discrimination by fans on a matchday (23% against the global average of 5%) and 10% on a non-matchday (against a global average of 2%).

Job security

One of the main findings of the survey revealed the precarious position professionals footballers find themselves in with their short careers which result in "accepting new contracts at the expense of poor labour conditions".

In Scotland, the average length of a contract of the 168 respondents was 22.5 months, almost the same as the global average.

However, Scotland was one of only five countries that returned no examples of players without a written contract (worldwide average of 7%).

Despite the recent instance of Hearts players going unpaid during their period of financial turmoil, there was praise from FIFPro in terms of Scotland's "rigorous rules to make sure all players are paid on time".

Scotland was among the five countries with the lowest amount of payment delays to players.

Medical cover

Another criticism levelled at the conditions for players came from PFA Scotland.

The national players' union claims that some clubs "pick and choose" which players they cover with private medical insurance.

It said: "They will pay for the star striker but not the player who has six months left on his contract."

This was reflected in the FIFPro results as one third of those who responded said they were not satisfied by the medical support at their clubs.

Pay

The highest percentage of Scottish players (37.9%) earn a net pay between £3,200 and £6,400 per month.

Only 5.1% earn less than £800 per month, significantly less than the 45% world average.

You can see the full survey results here.

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