Why did FC Flora want to reach an agreement with FC Nõmme United that would require players and staff to move between clubs only with the consent of their previous employer?

There's a longer backstory here — one that Madis Metsküla, head of youth development at Nõmme United, left out. FC Flora wanted to bring the matter to the Estonian Football Association's disciplinary committee after Nõmme United violated the league's transfer regulations. Nõmme United lured some of our youth players to their side, which goes against the official guidelines. Because of that, both I and Taavi Trasberg, who was Flora's head of youth development at the time, wanted to file a complaint with the disciplinary committee.

Then [Estonian Football Association president] Aivar Pohlak suggested we try to resolve the matter without going to the disciplinary committee, to avoid such issues in the future. The proposal was to sign a non-binding gentleman's agreement about how we'd handle these situations going forward. The idea was that neither club would try to poach players behind the other's back, and that if there's interest in a youth player, it should be discussed openly and handled in accordance with the Estonian Football Association's guidelines.

The "gentleman's agreement" proposed by FC Flora also included a clause about staff — meaning they, too, couldn't move from one club to another without the consent of their previous employer. Why did you want to regulate that?

The clause regarding staff came about because Nõmme United had previously accused us of taking their coaches — like Norman Põder, for example — who moved over to Flora.

Who was Aivar Pohlak representing in that online meeting where the proposal was made — FC Flora or the Estonian Football Association?

He acted as a mediator in the sense that he wanted to help find a resolution to the situation, since we had already had several emotionally charged meetings with Nõmme United that needed to be addressed.

Why did Aivar Pohlak send the agreement from his FC Flora email address?

He was acting as a mediator — trying to find a solution that would satisfy both parties. What Madis Metsküla is saying presents only one side of the story.

Who came up with the wording of the agreement?

It was initiated by us — by Flora. Since Nõmme United had accused us of taking their coaches, I came up with the idea. They had said, "Why are we even talking about players when it's coaches who have moved?" But the Estonian Football Association hasn't established any official documents regarding the recruitment of coaches.

Has FC Flora made similar agreements with any other clubs?

We don't have any such signed documents with any other club.

Do you have any such agreements made verbally?

Yes, we have a verbal agreement with FC Levadia that's been in place for over twenty years. People often misunderstand it. It doesn't restrict player movement in any way — it's an ethical, good-faith agreement that we don't try to lure players away behind each other's backs, but instead follow the Football Association's guidelines. For example, this winter a goalkeeper born in 2008 moved from us to Levadia. These kinds of transfers between football clubs do happen.

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