Seismic movements in Gibraltar football as players start to protect their interests

Rocked by recent reports of unpaid wages for Manchester 62 players — which have led to regular on-pitch protest actions before kicking a ball and a recent mass exodus — the Gibraltar Football League has seen an unprecedented, but expected, response from players as they now protect themselves using FIFA’s own regulations.
Manchester 62 were recently deducted points after the Gibraltar Football Association confirmed that the First Instance Board (FIB) of its Club Licensing Unit had issued a decision regarding Manchester 1962 FC, following a review of the club’s compliance with the Gibraltar FA Domestic Club Licensing Regulations 2024/25 (which regulate Season 2025/26).
The Gibraltar FA confirmed at the time that it had been officially aware of Manchester 1962 FC’s financial difficulties since July 2025 and, within the framework of its Club Licensing Regulations, had been working closely with the club to try to resolve these issues.
It is understood that the association was unofficially aware of reports emerging from players but was unable to act in an official capacity as no formal complaint had been filed.
This same situation is understood to have occurred on numerous occasions in past seasons, where players from other clubs were known to have had problems with their wages, but calls to report the matter officially — so that the association could act — have rarely taken place.
In the latest incident, the FIB found that the club had failed to meet key financial and regulatory obligations, including: maintaining overdue payables to players and staff; defaulting on a payment plan agreed with the tax authorities, resulting in the revocation of its Tax Compliance Certificate; and failing to comply with reporting and monitoring requirements set out under the regulations.
Since then, the club has been given a six-point deduction and warned that it will be reviewed again by 15 January 2026, immediately after the festivities.
The Gibraltar FA’s response, although bringing the issues to the forefront and highlighting that players were being placed as their main focus, nevertheless does not appear to have been enough to stop a response from players, some of whom were understood to have been struggling financially to meet even rent payments.
There has, however, been a seismic shift in how players have responded to the latest alleged failure of a club to pay their monthly wages, with players now beginning to use FIFA’s regulations to seek a way out of the club and find new employment elsewhere.
According to FIFA regulations, a player can — in certain circumstances — leave a club and sign with another if the first club fails to pay his wages. The relevant rules are found in the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP).
If a club fails “unlawfully” to pay a player at least two monthly salaries on their due dates, the player has “just cause” under FIFA rules to terminate the contract. This would need to be evidenced by the player before he can act and sign for a new club.
Alternatively, if a contract pays wages in lump sums rather than monthly, then the pro-rata equivalent of two months’ salary being overdue also qualifies.
Under the same regulations, FIFA requires that before terminating, the player must notify the club in writing (putting the club in default) and give the club a deadline of at least 15 days to meet the payment obligation. If after that notice and deadline the club still has not paid, the player may terminate the contract with just cause. Once that happens, the contract is terminated and the player is free to sign with another club. The former club may also be liable for compensation (damages or whatever the contract stipulated), and the club may face sporting sanctions for breaching its financial obligations under FIFA rules.
Several players from Manchester 62 have already announced signings with different clubs in Gibraltar, with over 50% of the squad listed on unofficial transfer sites as having moved in recent weeks, while others are reported to have departed with no club attachments recorded. It is not yet known officially how many players have completed the full process before being approved to sign for another club.
The actions by Manchester 62 players have set a new precedent in local football, only previously seen when Gibraltar United forfeited matches after players refused to play, before the club was officially removed from the league.
The use of FIFA regulations en masse, after advice from various sporting experts, presents a new scenario in Gibraltar football where players are becoming more aware of their rights as employees and using established rules to protect themselves from being prevented from fulfilling their employment.
Whilst Gibraltar football has no established player union such as FIFPRO, FIFA rules — which are also enforced by UEFA and its member associations, of which Gibraltar is part — offer players a form of protection: if the club does not pay wages for two months (or equivalent), the player is not indefinitely tied to the club. He can write to the club, give 15 days, and then exit. The rules are designed to discourage clubs from defaulting on wage payments, as they risk losing players and facing sanctions.
It also means that a “free transfer” (i.e., signing with a new club without a transfer fee) is possible if the former contract is terminated with just cause due to unpaid wages.
While these rules have not been widely used in leagues such as the lower tiers of Spanish football — where many players in Gibraltar originate — they have recently been used in high-profile cases. Examples include Sheffield Wednesday (England, 2025), UTA Arad (Romania, 2025), GFK Dubocica (Serbia, 2025), and Dynamos FC (Zimbabwe, 2025), highlighting how far-reaching the scope of the rules is.
With players regularly facing wage problems not just in Gibraltar but across global football, players are increasingly willing to assert their rights. Many are now going to arbitration or using the “just cause” route to terminate contracts and claim compensation.
Sanctions against clubs are real and severe. Bans on player registration, restrictions on transfers, and forced compensation payments occur frequently when clubs do not meet their obligations — illustrating how the regulatory system can enforce accountability.
The “just cause” rule under FIFA’s RSTP has shown it is not merely theoretical — it is actively used by players when clubs default on pay.
The hope is that the risk of losing players and facing sanctions or bans will deter clubs from mismanaging finances or failing to meet payment deadlines.
For players, this provides a genuine safeguard: they need not feel trapped indefinitely and have the tools to exit contracts legally and seek new clubs or compensation.
With these rules now being acted upon by players in Gibraltar, it is hoped that a new precedent is set, especially as annual reports — often emerging in spring when clubs begin to feel financial pressures in a small league — become more frequent. For many seasons, reports have surfaced of players going unpaid and leaving only at the end of their contracts. In some cases, players are known to have played without wages for most of the second half of the season, believing they could not move to another club until the new transfer window opened in June. These same scenarios are also understood to exist in other leagues across Europe, especially among lower-tier sides.