CRAZY CONTRACTS! Footballers and their secret clauses: From LEGO houses to "Accidental Rape"! The dark side of multi-million-dollar deals

The gilded world of professional football hides in its fine print realities that surpass fiction. Beyond the astronomical figures, players' contracts often contain unusual clauses designed to protect clubs from erratic behavior or, in more disturbing cases, to try to shield players from the consequences of their actions.

The clubs, scalded by past experiences, have resorted to a wide variety of contractual stipulations:

• Luis Suárez's "Anti-Biting" Clause: Following his notorious biting incidents on the pitch, FC Barcelona included a clause to penalize the Uruguayan financially if he reoffended. This was a measure to protect the club's image and finances.
• Giuseppe Reina's LEGO houses: When the German striker signed with Arminia Bielefeld, his contract stipulated that he would receive a house for each season he played for the club. Since he didn't specify the features, the club gave him three LEGO houses at the end of his contract! A lesson in the importance of contractual precision.
• Mario Balotelli's "Anti-Scandal" Clause: Known for his unpredictable behavior off the pitch, AC Milan tried to rein him in in 2015 with a contract requiring him to moderate his hairstyles, not skip training, and refrain from provocative acts. "I must only work, not talk," were his first words.

But eccentricity gives way to horror with the revelation of alleged "sexual consent contracts" circulating among soccer players in Spain. Miguel Galán, president of the National Center for Coach Training (CENAFE), uncovered these documents, which, he claims, players consult with him.

"The accidental rape section seems aberrant to me." – Miguel Galán, on "consent contracts."

These "contracts," which Galán considers legally invalid, detail consensual sexual acts and include a deeply alarming "accidental rape" clause:

• Chilling definition: "Either partner, being male, may, without fault or intention, penetrate a female orifice."
• Retroactive consent: In such a case, the woman would have the option of accepting the "accidental nature," establishing "retroactive consent."

Galán states that, since the Dani Alves case, footballers are "terrified" and are seeking these solutions, even going so far as to record their consent. However, he emphasizes that consent can be withdrawn at any time, invalidating such agreements.

These practices not only expose a worrying legal ignorance, but also a potentially toxic culture that attempts to manipulate concepts as serious as sexual consent. While some clauses seek to control damage or prevent eccentricities, others delve into ethical and legally murky terrain, revealing a "black box" of sports contracts that deserves the deepest scrutiny.