FIFA announces new global laws related to player loan deals
The International Football Association (FIFA) announced Thursday that the transfer of players on loan between clubs will be subject to new laws, starting from the first of next July, aimed at limiting them.
A statement from the international body said that these reforms would "promote the development of young players, improve the competitive balance and prevent the excessive accumulation of contract players."
Since 2017, FIFA has been working on a comprehensive project to define a new framework for transfers of players, which includes in particular the issue of the role of agents.
The International Federation is planning to allow a particular club to loan a maximum of three players to the same club, a measure that is not suitable for major clubs that loan many of their players because they do not have a place for them in their strong squad.
This is the case of the French Monaco with the Belgian Cercle Brugge, or the English Chelsea with the Dutch Vitesse Arnhem, who received thirty players from the "Blues" on loan during the past ten seasons.
FIFA will determine the total number of players a club can loan in each season.
It will allow a maximum of eight players in the 2022-2023 season to gradually decrease to six as of July 2024.
Currently, according to data from the transfer market website, Manchester City, champions of England, have 14 players on loan.
The fixes also include a maximum loan term (one year) as well as a player loan ban.
FIFA said the new rules did not include young players aged 21 and under and those emerging from club academies.
"The issuance of these laws, which were initially scheduled in July 2020, has been postponed due to the Covid-19 epidemic," the International Federation added, adding that they must be subject to "the approval of the FIFA Council at its next session."
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news