By Andrew Warshaw
September 24 – In what is being flagged up as a case potentially as far-reaching as the Bosman ruling that changed the face of football, a journeyman English player is considering taking legal action against FIFA over what he claims are unfair restraints on player movement outside the transfer window.
Yoffe has played in the United States, Canada, Spain, Republic of Ireland, Australia and now Iceland since starting his professional career at Stockport County when they were an English Championship club.
But he says his career is now being unfairly jeopardised by being prevented from carrying on earning his living.
“I don’t think it’s FIFA’s idea to obstruct any player,” he said. “They have the rules in place for what they see as perfect sense, but there is a grey area. It is quite messy. A couple of lawyers have already said they’d like to take the case.”
“It is something I feel strongly about,” Yoffe told the BBC. “I know a lot of players do as well. Some I know are signing shorter deals which means their contract expires before the window closes. It protects them and they don’t have to go four months without a club.
“It’s not just for me. I want to help others in the same situation. A player’s career is so short anyway that, when you come to the end of a contract, you’d like to be in the shop window to progress forward as soon as possible after that.
“Having to wait for several months is denying players a right to impress, a right to move forward and a right to earn a living. I’m talking to the lawyers about what options are available.”
Bosman was also a journeyman player, in Belgium, when his contract at Standard Liege ended in 1990. A move to Dunkerque broke down because the French club could not match the asking price and Bosman won a ruling at the European court of justice in December 1995 allowing players in the EU to move to another club at the end of their contract without a transfer fee being paid.
His case revolutionised the way clubs do business and led to the expression ‘on a Bosman’ becoming regular football speak when players move as free agents.
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