Transfer Windows

[Craig]

League accepts transfer windows

The Football League has accepted defeat in its efforts to stop Fifa applying its transfer window restrictions across the board.

They will join Premiership clubs in operating under the constraints from this summer onwards.

Football League director of operations Andy Williamson: "This is the third season where we've had an exemption.

"That will not apply any more - there's not going to be any further extended period of flexibility."

The world governing body has dug its heels in and ordered all English clubs to abide by their ruling, meaning transfers will only be permissible in the off-season and during January.

Court action had been hinted at, in an effort to allow clubs from the Championship, League One and League Two to deal throughout the year.

But Football League chairman Sir Brian Mawhinney jas sent a letter to all member clubs which recognises Fifa's authority in the matter.

In abiding by Fifa's terms, the 72 Football League clubs will come into line with the Barclays Premiership, where the restrictions have been in place since the beginning of the 2001-02 campaign.

The news will inevitably be of serious concern to many clubs, who will be denied for the first time the opportunity to operate in the transfer market on their own terms.

Effectively, the league authorities have backed off from a potential court battle with Fifa which they were unlikely to win

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4217507.stm

[davieG]

League accepts transfer windows

The Football League has accepted defeat in its efforts to stop Fifa applying its transfer window restrictions across the board.

They will join Premiership clubs in operating under the constraints from this summer onwards.

Football League director of operations Andy Williamson: "This is the third season where we've had an exemption.

"That will not apply any more - there's not going to be any further extended period of flexibility."

The world governing body has dug its heels in and ordered all English clubs to abide by their ruling, meaning transfers will only be permissible in the off-season and during January.

Court action had been hinted at, in an effort to allow clubs from the Championship, League One and League Two to deal throughout the year.

But Football League chairman Sir Brian Mawhinney jas sent a letter to all member clubs which recognises Fifa's authority in the matter.

In abiding by Fifa's terms, the 72 Football League clubs will come into line with the Barclays Premiership, where the restrictions have been in place since the beginning of the 2001-02 campaign.

The news will inevitably be of serious concern to many clubs, who will be denied for the first time the opportunity to operate in the transfer market on their own terms.

Effectively, the league authorities have backed off from a potential court battle with Fifa which they were unlikely to win

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4217507.stm

60352[/snapback]

Can't see the benefits of a transfer window myself

[filbertway]

It really annoys me. Why cant clubs make transfers whenever they want. Yet again sepp blatter and his chums are ruining football

[Steven]

It really annoys me. Why cant clubs make transfers whenever they want. Yet again sepp blatter and his chums are ruining football 

60367[/snapback]

Blatter is trying to control the Club game in a way Fifa never have. It is up to the Clubs to tell him to get stuffed as Fifa needs the Clubs more than the Clubs need Fiffa. <_<

[breadandcheese]

In this case Fifa are not to blame.

I believe the existing transfer system was deemed illegal by the EU with it breaking existing european laws on fair competition and the right of all workers to ply their trade freely in the union. Essentially the main problem was the contractual situation, particularly the situation of when the player has the right to terminate his contract.

Thus Fifa negotiated with the EU coming to the understanding that transfer windows would be enforced so that players on unprotected contracts could move during those periods of the season rather than throughout the season. The rationale for this was to ensure stability within the game so that fans (who would be buying tickets in advance e.g. season tickets) could know with a relative amount of certainty which players would be playing for their team. It was also deemed that compensation packages would be paid for players under 23 to be based on training costs, age, etc (a la Williams from Forest)

Although Sepp Blatter is as helpful to football as Kevin Pressman is to Weightwatchers, in this instance, the blame lays firmly with the EU and its stupid banana republic laws. Fifa's hands were firmly tied on this one.