TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) expressed its apology to players Monday (March 4) and indicated it will nullify controversial contract terms. The declaration was issued following accusations from sports analyst Max Shih that the association was pressuring the women's national team players to sign an unfair agreement.
Shih unveiled details of the deal earlier the same day, stirring public outrage. He criticized the contract for treating players like commodities of a management company for profit-making, with resources coming from the nation. This configuration, according to Shih, essentially exploited the female players using national funds without providing them adequate compensation.
Despite publicly acknowledging the inappropriateness of the contract after its exposure, Shih alleged that CTFA was subtly pressuring players with veiled threats, such as suggesting their odds of future national team selection might dwindle if they refrained from signing the agreement.
In the statement, CTFA apologized to the players and vowed to return the contentious contracts to them on March 25, the day of the national team training, and void the contents of the contract.
To address the issue, CTFA decided to set up a task force that includes representatives from various sectors to discuss and draft a group agreement that better suits the current situation.