Star striker Robert Lewandowski wants to leave Bayern. However, his contract is still valid. A sports lawyer is now more than clear.
The well-known sports lawyer Thomas Summerer has criticized the actions of the player side in the transfer vortex surrounding world footballer Robert Lewandowski. “The club can insist on contract fulfillment. That’s how Oliver Kahn’s ‘Basta’ power word is to be understood. Some players still have to learn loyalty and contract loyalty. A professional contract is not a one-way street. Players cannot cash in like professionals and behave like amateurs,” said Summerer of the German Press Agency.
Despite the current contract, Lewandowski wants to switch to FC Barcelona until 2023. The Munich-based CEO Kahn has so far ruled out a release. Statements by Lewandowski that his story with Bayern is over or that he cannot imagine further cooperation are “an absolute no-go,” said Summerer. “This statement, which was also repeated by his advisor, is a clear crossing of boundaries and the threat of a breach of contract.”
FC Bayern could obtain urgent proceedings
A club doesn’t have to put up with something like that. “In such a case, a club can demand a cease-and-desist declaration from the player and a commitment to compliance with the contract, if necessary also in summary proceedings before the Munich Regional Court,” said Summerer, President of the German Association for Sports Law.
“The legal situation is crystal clear: According to FC Bayern Munich, Lewandowski has a fixed-term employment contract until mid-2023. In the absence of an exit clause, he has to fulfill this without ifs or buts,” said the lawyer. “Contracts with a fixed term must be observed, that’s an iron principle in German law. That’s why no player can force a change, certainly not through a strike. If he doesn’t show up for training or if he violates the instructions of his coach, he’s threatened with a warning and a reduction in salary . If he plays badly on purpose, he harms himself and his reputation.”
