A Premier League manager's employment contract must contain three standard clauses and clearly set out the circumstances in which either side may end it. Every part of the manager's remuneration must be written into the contract, and any payment or benefit outside it is a breach of the rules.
What the contract has to cover
The contract cannot stop at term, title and general duties. It has to include the standard clauses required by the league and also spell out, separately, the circumstances in which the club or the manager may bring the deal to an end.
The same approach applies to remuneration. Cash payments, non-cash benefits and any other entitlement have to be set out in the contract itself, rather than left to side arrangements or informal promises.
The three standard clauses
Three clauses must appear in the contract.
Under the first, the manager must observe and comply with the rules and regulations in force of any organisation or body the club is bound to observe, including The Football Association's and the league's, and must act at all times in accordance with the league's code of conduct for managers. That ties the manager to the rulebook the club itself must follow.
Under the second, the manager must comply with all reasonable instructions and requests given to managers by the league, or given to him by the club, where they arise out of a commercial contract the league has entered into for its members' benefit or one the club has entered into for its own. The same clause bars him from entering into any such contract himself where it conflicts or competes, or is reasonably likely to conflict or compete, with those the league or the club has entered into.
Under the third, any dispute between the parties about the construction of the agreement, their rights duties or obligations under it, or anything arising out of the manager's employment must be referred to the managers' arbitration tribunal. The parties must also use their best endeavours to settle the dispute by mediation, and must keep doing so until the arbitration concludes. If they want help with mediation, the league can provide the names and addresses of organisations that offer that service.
Termination terms must be stated clearly
The contract also has to say clearly when either party may end it. That requirement stands apart from the three standard clauses, so a contract is not complete if it includes the standard wording but leaves termination grounds unclear.
The point is precision. The club's right to end the contract and the manager's right to end it both need to be set out in the agreement. If a dispute later arises about the meaning of those terms, or about rights and obligations under the deal, it goes to the managers' arbitration tribunal while both sides keep trying to resolve it by mediation.
What the club must file and when
These are the filings the club must make and the deadline for each.
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Full details of the manager's remuneration, every benefit included, in cash or in kind | Within seven clear working days of it taking effect |
| Any settlement or termination agreement with the manager or a previous manager, setting out every benefit arising from it | Within seven clear working days of it taking effect |
| Full details of any other arrangement paying the manager while he is in post | Within seven clear working days of it taking effect |
The rule with the biggest practical effect is simple: all remuneration details have to be in the contract. A club breaches the rules if it pays the manager, or induces him to sign or extend a contract, by offering or providing any payment or benefit, directly or indirectly, that is not set out there.
The filing duty is wider than the contract currently in force. If the club enters into a settlement agreement or a termination agreement with the current manager or a previous one, that agreement must also set out every resulting benefit, in cash or in kind, and it must be filed on the same timetable.
There is also a third category. If, while he is the club's manager, there is any other arrangement under which someone else pays him or will pay him, that arrangement must be disclosed as well. The manager must give the club the information it needs to meet that duty.
Extra coaching roles for a UEFA Licence application
A club applying for a UEFA Licence has to employ two further coaches on top of the manager.
The first is an individual such as an assistant manager or head coach, to assist the manager in all first-team football matters. That person must hold, or be actively working towards, at least a valid UEFA A licence or a diploma of similar standard from another national association.
The second is a goalkeeping coach, to assist the manager in all first-team goalkeeping matters. That person must hold, or be actively working towards, the highest available valid UEFA goalkeeping licence or an equivalent UEFA recognition of competence.
Those are additional staffing requirements linked to a UEFA Licence application. They sit alongside, rather than inside, the mandatory contract terms for the manager.
FAQ
Can a club pay a manager outside his contract?
No. Every element of the manager's remuneration, including benefits in cash or in kind, has to be set out in the contract.
If a club offers or provides anything outside the contract, whether directly or indirectly, as payment or as an inducement to sign or extend, that is a breach.
What happens if the manager is dismissed?
If the club enters into a settlement agreement or a termination agreement with the manager, it has to file that agreement within seven clear working days of it taking effect.
The agreement must also set out every benefit the manager is entitled to receive as a result, in cash or in kind.
Does the contract have to say how it can be ended?
Yes. It must clearly set out the circumstances in which either side may end it.
That is a separate requirement, so the contract still needs express termination terms even when the standard clauses are included.
What coaches must a club employ for a UEFA Licence?
It must employ one coach to assist with all first-team football matters and one goalkeeping coach to assist with all first-team goalkeeping matters.
Each role has a qualification standard, and each may be filled either by someone who already holds the required level or by someone actively working towards it.