All men and women are honored, and hence it is inappropriate to say that they can be bought and sold or traded. Allah Almighty says [Verily We have honored the children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment] (Al-Israa‘ 17:70). It is permissible for players to sell their experience to any club that wants them provided that this happens by mutual agreement, in which case, the players leave their club by one of the two following ways:
If the transfer takes place during the period of the contract, the club is the party entitled to decide whether or not to dispense with players for another club.
If the period of the contract has ended, the players become entitled to leave and make another contract with any club they desire because their affiliation to the first club was preconditioned for a period during which they exerted their efforts and offered their experience.
Sheikh `Abdul-`Azeem Al-Mat`ani, professor at Al-Azhar University’s Faculty of Arabic Language, states the following: The relationship between the players and their club is an issue left for the administration of the club and its players to decide. It is legally permissible for players to move from one team to another for a salary agreed upon by the two parties. This is because the players gets their due payment for using their experience, skills, and efforts for the new team they are moving to. They are also supposed to devote all their efforts to serving the new team and gaining victories for it.
It is permissible in Islam to receive wages for offering one’s experience. Doctor, for example, receive wages for using their medical experience in treating patients. The same applies also to engineers, lawyers, teachers, and every person from whose profession people benefit.
Still, it is improper to call this process buying or selling by saying that someone has sold themselves to such and such a team, or that a certain team has bought someone. A human being is not merchandise to be bought or sold. This sports tradition is not recommendable and should be abandoned for another one that does not offend human dignity.
This change, in fact, should begin from the players themselves, who should express their refusal to be called in this insulting way. They are the only persons concerned in the matter.