Prior’s sheep testicle deal, Suarez’s no-biting, Firmino’s anti-Arsenal proviso…. Ten weird contract clauses in football
Release clauses, buyback options and sales contracts are standard in a modern football contract.
But from time to time some really confusing provisions sneak into the fine print of the deals handed out by the Premier League’s elite clubs.
Alex OxladeChamberlain had a clause in his Arsenal contract that meant the Gunners had to pay his former club Southampton £10,000 every time he played 20 minutes or more.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have included €1bn (£846m) release clauses in Ansu Fati and Pedri’s contract renewals to deter any potential bidder for the two teenage prodigies.
And from a financial perspective, these deals make perfect sense compared to Ronaldinho’s nightclub bid.
With the January transfer window closing on Monday, there could be some more bizarre requests as clubs try to push through late deals.
Here are 10 Weirdest Contract Clauses in Soccer…
Spencer Prior
Sam Hamman, Cardiff City’s eccentric former owner, was well-known for the unusual clauses he inserted into his players’ contracts.
Prior’s signing from Manchester City was contingent on him eating sheep’s testicles, a delicacy in Hamman’s native Lebanon.
He said: “It must be the strangest contract in the history of football. But I’ll try anything once.”
Prior did, in fact, eat the dish with a pinch of salt, lemon, and parsley… before it was discovered that he had been served slow-cooked chicken!
Stefan Schwarz
When he joined Sunderland from Valencia in 1999, the former Arsenal player was committed to signing up for one of the first commercial flights to space.
The Black Cats, on the other hand, were less enthusiastic about the idea and inserted a clause in Schwarz’s contract that would nullify his deal if he left the planet.
Sunderland’s then-CEO, John Fickling, stated,“One of Schwarz’s advisers has, indeed, got one of the places on the commercial flights.
“And we were worried that he may wish to take Stefan along with him. So we thought we’d better get things tied up now rather than at the time of the flight.”
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