This Monday, July 1, is a doubly special date for Adrien Rabiot. On the right side and as a priority, there is, at 6 p.m., this round of 16 of Euro 2024 which he will play with the France team against Belgium. On the other hand, this day marks his entry, temporarily as we imagine, into the club of players free from any contract, his lease with Juventus running until June 30, 2024 and not having been renewed.
A situation in which the former PSG player (28 years old) is not the only one to find himself. Among others, the Dutchman Memphis Depay, who until then played at Atlético de Madrid, and the Turk Yusuf Yazici, whose contract with Lille was not renewed, will also play their round of 16 on Tuesday (respectively at 6 p.m. against Romania and at 9 p.m. against Austria) in the shoes of free agents. Do the UEFA regulations say anything about these particular cases and does this change anything for them?
No obligation to have a club license to compete in the Euro
Not much, really, apart from the hassle of finding a new home for a player. There is nothing to prevent a player who is not under contract with a club from playing at Euro 2024. Article 47 of the player registration regulations only states that they must be in possession of “a valid passport or identity card of the country for which they play” and that they must “undergo a medical examination to the extent provided for in the UEFA Medical Regulations”.
There is no mention of a club or a license issued by a member association. Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea for example, without a club since July 1, 2023, could therefore have been selected to defend Spain’s goals, and nothing prevents Rabiot from holding his place with the Blues.
Another question, however, may arise: what happens if Adrien Rabiot is seriously injured this Monday evening against Belgium, or during a possible quarter, semi or final? Will he be insured in the same way as a teammate who is under contract with a club? The competition regulations, again, stipulate that “associations are responsible for their insurance coverage and undertake to conclude, at their own expense, all necessary and appropriate insurance to cover their delegations, including players and officials”. Without specifying what the insurance in question must cover.
A “fragile” situation
In normal times, the question of insurance arises in particular for clubs, and the compensation they receive if their players are injured during international periods. “An insurance scheme has been set up, which provides compensation for the benefit of the club, exclusively the club, in the event of a player being injured during competitions under the auspices of FIFA or UEFA,” explains Didier Loiseau, CEO of Miller Sports, which specializes in sports insurance. This compensation can be up to $7.5 million. (6.87 million euros) per year. »
What about the players? Most of them now take out personal insurance, and pay monthly compensation to be able to continue receiving their salaries in the event of a long-term injury, or to be compensated if they have to end their career prematurely. It is not compulsory, and a minority does not take it out, but it is generally recommended by advisors and clubs. When a player is under contract, his club can, depending on the championships or contracts, maintain the salary for a given period (in France, for example, three months are mandatory before the insurance must take over).
In fact, for Loiseau, the case in which Rabiot finds himself “can be a fragile situation and it is better for him to have personal insurance”, in which case “he will be compensated”.
In the meantime, the player is in great shape and 100% focused on his competition. Obviously, it is better for him, for the transfer that he will have to negotiate this summer and for the French team, that no injury disrupts this state of affairs.
