Friday 17th April 2020
Following on from our previous update in relation to FIFA proposals in respect of key regulatory matters, the working group established by the Bureau of the FIFA Council has identified other non-core matters that could be affected by COVID-19, specifically:
- the release of players to international teams: clubs shall not be obliged to release their players in the international windows in April and June and a player is entitled to decline such a call-up;
- loans: the entry into force of amendments to the FIFA RSTP in respect of loans, scheduled to take effect on 1 July 2020, has now been postponed for the time being;
- enforcement of DRC/PSC or Disciplinary Committee decisions: no exceptions will be granted in this regard;
- requests to FIFA, DRC and PSC for extension of deadlines: although dealt with on a case by case basis, specific requests related to COVID-19 should, in principle, be accepted. The currently regulatory maximum extension is ten days which shall be extended to 15 days. However, we understand that FIFA is already acting with a degree of flexibility in dealing with requests for deadline extensions and some have gone beyond 15 days;
- contract offer via registered post: this is a requirement under Article 6.3 of Annex 4 to the FIFA RSTP in relation to a club’s entitlement to training compensation. Given the circumstances, and in cases where club representatives are unable to use postal services, it would be sufficient for clubs to make the offer by email provided the club obtains confirmation from the player that he has received a copy of the offer; and
- regulatory deadline to publish annual intermediary data: the requirement to publish such data has been extended to 30 June 2020.
If you would like more information on any of the points raised above or any advice in connection with the same, please contact Matthew Bennett (Partner) – MatthewBennett@centrefield.law or Stuart Baird (Partner) – StuartBaird@centrefield.law