2025 Italian Footballers' Association Collective Bargaining Agreement: Key Innovations and Impacts

The Italian Footballers' Association, the Serie A League, and the Italian Football Federation have signed a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that introduces significant innovations in the regulation of professional players' employment relationships. The CBA, which will remain in force until the end of the 2029/2030 football season, establishes a new definition of the 'collective image of the player,' sets a maximum limit for collective promotional activities, and introduces an automatic salary adjustment mechanism in the event of relegation. The new CBA also strengthens the framework on contractual breaches, revises the rules on the period of comporto, and addresses players' right to a weekly rest day.

Key Takeaways:

• The new CBA introduces an explicit definition of the 'collective image of the player,' which is understood as the evocative image of the team involving at least three players of the same club (Article 4.2.2).
• The club may commercially exploit the collective image, but written consent is required for promotional initiatives involving fewer than three players (Article 4.2.2).
• A maximum limit of 30 hours per football season is set for collective promotional activities, to be organised according to rotation criteria among the players (Article 4.2.3).
• An automatic salary adjustment mechanism is introduced in the event of relegation to Serie B, reducing the player's fixed salary by 25% (Article 5.2.7.1).
• The reduced salary can never fall below the federal minimum set by age category, and the reduction applies from the football season following relegation and ceases in the event of promotion back to Serie A (Article 5.2.7.1).
• The clause applies only to contracts signed from 2 September 2025 onwards (Article 5.2.7.1).
• The new CBA strengthens the framework on contractual breaches, introducing more structured and higher limits on fines, and a binding obligation to adopt a detailed framework of disciplinary conduct and corresponding sanctions within 120 days from the signing (Article 8).
• The new CBA revises the rules on the period of comporto, allowing measures to be taken where periods of inability or unfitness add up over twelve months to reach the six- or nine-month thresholds (Article 10.4.1 and 10.4.2).
• Players' right to a weekly rest day is allowed to be waived where the team is engaged in official national and/or international competitions scheduled on midweek dates (Article 12.1).

Statistics:

• 25% reduction in salary in the event of relegation to Serie B (Article 5.2.7.1).
• Maximum limit of 30 hours per football season for collective promotional activities (Article 4.2.3).
• 20% maximum threshold for fines in cases of contractual breaches (Article 8).
• 50% maximum threshold for fines in cases of discriminatory conduct (Article 8).
• 120 days deadline to adopt a detailed framework of disciplinary conduct and corresponding sanctions (Article 8).
• 15 April deadline to terminate the CBA with notice (Article 17).
• 12-month period to calculate cumulative periods of inability or unfitness for the purpose of the period of comporto rules (Article 10.4.1 and 10.4.2).

Sources:

• [Italian Footballers' Association Collective Bargaining Agreement 2025]
• [Serie A League]
• [Italian Football Federation]