j-far wrote:The difference between Pogba - Man United and this recent Chelsea incident is that United offered Pogba a professional deal before Le Havre did and the player/his caretakers were happy to accept it. on the other hand, Chelsea tapped the player up and induced him into breaking an "Existing" contractual agreement, which is frankly illegal.
The Normandy club, relegated to Ligue 2, ensures that a non-solicitation agreement was signed in Autumn 2006 between the player and his parents, which would enable Pogba to sign a professional contract, "once the player had become of age and completed the educational criteria required by law." The professional contract was to begin in the 2009-2010 season.
I think this is the same type of "contract" as Kakuta's. You have to be at least 16 to sign a professional contract, and Kakuta wasn't 16 then according to Lens themselves.
edit:
In explaining what is a complex issue, Phillipe Piat, co-president of the French players’ union and president of FIFPro, the international players’ union, explained the background to the contract breach.
He said: ‘At 14, Kakuta and his father signed a youth pre-contract promising to sign for Lens when he turned 16. When he finished his youth development Lens wished to apply the contract and bring the player back but his father no longer agreed to this. He wanted to go to Chelsea.’
It sounds the same to me.