In the past year, Law Office Bolcar Ltd represented various stakeholders within sport before domestic courts and sport arbitral bodies such as the Court Of Arbitration for Sport (‘CAS’), the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal (‘BAT’), the FIFA Judicial Bodies and the FIVB Tribunal. Additionally, Law Office Bolcar Ltd provided legal advice and oversight to FIFA Licensed Football Agents and their clients (primarily players) in domestic and international transfers. Such legal advisory and regulatory compliance work expanded a multitude of jurisdictions such as Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, Germany, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Turkey. 

Parallelly, the past year witnessed several important legal and regulatory questions in the field of sports law in Slovenia. Among the various issues tackled in the sport dispute and regulatory space, one common lacunae that was consistently underscored was the lack of an adequate good governance model within Slovenian Sport. 

This review is intended to focus on these developments, as well as on the key regulatory changes introduced by the government and national sports associations. 

Acceptance of professional football contract for promising young players

On 23 June 2025, the Slovenian Football Association (‘NZS’) introduced a new contractual model, namely, the professional contract for young prospective players. This was introduced as an additional option alongside the existing standard professional contract, albeit in reference to young talents. Under this model, the prospective player is considered a professional, with remuneration set at no less than 350,00 EUR gross and not higher than the minimum gross salary in Slovenia.

The reason as to why this was introduced was to incentivise football clubs to invest in youth players, by making them eligible to receive funds under FIFA’s and/or the NZS’s Training Compensation System, whereby training clubs were entitled to a defined amount (as per the applicable regulations and club category) in case of the transfer and registration of a player as a professional, either for the first time, or until the calendar year in which the player turns 23. 

It was further introduced to keep special focus on the needs and requirements of young prospective players, who valued and required definite game time. Under the present standard professional contract of the NZS, it often posed difficulties in this regard, as young players were often informally assured of first-team involvement and game time, only to later find out that such promises made were not legally enforceable without it actually being agreed within the contract. Such concerns led to contractual instability, uncertainty, and dissatisfaction. 

Under the new system, clubs entering into such contracts are required to pay training compensation to the player’s former club, as the player acquires professional status. 

While the motive behind such a move was indeed well-intentioned, it raised doubts over the actual ‘professional’ nature of the agreement. This is owing to the fact that the remuneration under such agreements was limited to 350,00 EUR gross and does not per se exceed the costs incurred by a player to engage in football activities. 

Additionally, the new contract for young prospective players omits a clause determining transfer compensation during the term of the contract, reflecting the second paragraph of Article 34 of the Sports Act, which reads as follows: “A sports organisation shall be entitled to require an athlete over the age of 15 to pay compensation for their transfer if it has a written contract in which such compensation is provided for and on the basis of which athletes receive a payment amounting to at least the gross minimum wage in the Republic of Slovenia.”. Consequently, if a player terminates the contract without just cause, he may still register with a new club. While the former club cannot claim transfer compensation, it may seek damages for breach of contract, typically corresponding to the residual value of the contract.

For further details, please refer to the NZS Regulations on the Registration and Status of Players and the new contract for prospective players, as well as the blog analysis.