No more Red Tape: Federations Take Charge

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A new bill, aligned with FIFA and the Olympic Charter, grants sports federations full control over professionalism and player contracts.

The government says the draft, which is seeking parliamentary approval, averts the risk of international suspension.

The Olympic Charter and FIFA statutes state that Bahrain risks questions from international sports bodies, and even suspension from events, if technical independence is not established in enforceable law.

Accordingly, federations could run their sport on the technical side without needing pre-clearance, while the President of the General Sports Authority would issue a single set of umbrella rules for professionalism to sit within national law. Meaning: the Bahrain Olympic Committee and the wider sports movement would be independent, with no interference in the work of sports bodies, particularly the federations.

The bill also addresses the practical side of professional sport: contracts and transfers. These are seasonal matters, and the memo says they need clear rules before new campaigns begin to provide legal certainty to clubs, players, and federations, and to avoid disputes.

According to the memo, the current law has a basic flaw: detailed regulations require prior approval from the minister and the President of the Olympic Committee, which has slowed adoption and created legal uncertainty.

The government argues that removing pre-approval would stabilize the system for contracts between clubs and professionals, protect Bahrain’s regulatory interests, meet international obligations, improve administrative efficiency, and support the economic programme.