On the 13th of June 2023, Mr Richard Wee from Richard Wee Chambers (“RWC”) was cordially invited to be one of the panellists in the Professional Footballers Association of Malaysia (“PFAM”) Legal Conference: Standard Professional Players Contracts. The Conference was held in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s (“UKM”) Law Faculty.
The Conference was attended by heavy-hitters in the Malaysian Football scene such as Mr Safee Sali, who is also the current President of PFAM. In addition to this, the Malaysian sports law industry’s most illustrious minds also were present to inaugurate the Conference. This includes opening addresses by Mr Izham Ismail, the Chief Executive Officer of PFAM and Associate Professor Dr Zaidi Hassim @ Jady who is the current Dean of UKM’s Law Faculty.
The first session of the Conference was a deep dive into ‘Contractual Obligations and Relevant Bodies’. The panel consisted of representatives from the Malaysian Football League (“MFL”), Employee Provident Fund Malaysia (“EPF”) and Social Security Organisation (“SOCSO”). The session proved to be rewarding as it delved into the dynamics of MFL licensing sanctions on football clubs, EPF’s role in footballer’s retirement savings, and the benefits offered by SOCSO to players for injuries or accidents.
After a short break, the second session of the Conference on the ‘National Dispute Resolution Chamber (“NDRC”) as an Independent Arbitration Tribunal to Hear Contractual Disputes’ had begun. This session included none other than our Mr Richard Wee as one of the panellists discussing contractual issues on player injuries. The panel shed focus on what happens when a player is not paid salary timely, the availability of NDRC to resolve injury claims of players and most importantly, focused on the role dispute resolution plays in providing an avenue for aggrieved players.
RWC and Mr Richard Wee wish to record their gratitude for being invited to this prestigious event which aimed to shed light on the relevant legal issues faced by Malaysian footballers. In an era of growing awareness of rights and liberties in the public’s eye, the PFAM Legal Conference was crucial in highlighting footballers’ issues. RWC is ever-appreciative to be a part of this initiative.
