March 31 – FIFA has approved new loan regulations that will come into force in July in a bid to foster development in the game and prevent “hoarding” of players.
On the eve of the FIFA Congress in the Qatari capital, the FIFA Council introduced the new regulations “to facilitate the development of young players, promote competitive balance and prevent the hoarding of players by clubs” the global governing body said in a statement.
The new regulations made their way from the FIFA Football Stakeholders Committee to the FIFA Council to be rubberstamped.
FIFA is stepping in to end stockpiling of players in the club game by some of the richest clubs and will introduce the new regulations in a phased way. Over the year London club Chelsea was one of the most prominent clubs to build a loan army. In the 2018-19 season, the club loaned out 49 players.
The new regulations will only apply to international transfers. Clubs will be limited to eight international loan signings and eight loaned out players from next season. The number will drop to seven the following year and then remain at six from 2024-25 onwards.
The new regulations, which aim to end the abuse of the loan market, come into force on July 1. Homegrown players and those under the age of 21, however, will remain exempt from the regulations. Those exemptions will still undermine the objective of the regulations.
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