Players’ union FIFPRO has revealed a charter on footballing data rights – after most players admitted they did not know how or where their personal data was stored.
Performance data, tracking data and medical data – including data on the heart, urine samples and blood – are regularly collected from players by clubs and their countries. They are used to assist in the development of players and improve their performance.
FIFPRO surveyed players to find out if they felt they could access a complete record, know how the data was stored, and have control over their data.
They also scored an average score of 4 out 10 when it came to whether or not they could prevent access to performance data.
This is despite players scoring between an 8 and 10 with 50% scoring a 10. The question of whether they would like access to their individual performance data is also a factor.
FIFPRO has developed a player data charter. This includes rights to access, revoke, portability and restrict processing. It also addresses inaccurate data, erasure, complain, and information. This was developed in collaboration with FIFAOver the past two years.
FIFPRO is now calling for their charter to apply across all professional games.
FIFPRO’s director of global policy & strategic relations Alexander Bielefeld said: “Professional footballers have the same data rights as everyone else. They must have the ability to access, control and transfer sensitive data.
“The Charter of Player Data Rights is a response to feedback from players across several focus groups and research surveys at a time of unparalleled innovation.
“The charter sets out common industry standards that should be practically implemented to help players manage and apply their rights, minimise conflict and set a fair and sustainable foundation for this emerging area of our sport at domestic and international levels.”
Go Deeper
Information has value. Footballers are no exception to this rule.
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