For decades, the transfer solidarity payments system has been broken even though the rules were simple: when a player is sold, 5% of the transfer fee should be split among the clubs that trained the player between the ages of 12 and 23. In practice, this money rarely arrived. Small clubs in continents like South […]
Why are Staff Receiving Millions?
Over the past few years the industry no longer views non-playing staff as annoying but necessary overheads, instead they are now viewed as key assets. Sporting Directors, Heads of Recruitment and Data Analysts are now part of a “staff transfer market” featuring compensation fees that rival the transfer fees of football players. The Shift from […]
The Transfer Compensation Challenge
On 4th October 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered a judgment in the Diarra case (C-650/22) that effectively dismantled the legal architecture of the professional game in the biggest gamechanger since the 1995 Bosman ruling. By declaring that FIFA’s transfer regulations violate both freedom of movement and competition law, the […]
Football’s New Watchdog: The Independent Football Regulator
The Football Governance Act 2025 has moved from a contentious proposal to a reality. As of early 2026, the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) is no longer a “shadow” body, it is a statutory authority with the power to go into boardrooms, block takeovers and, in extreme cases, revoke the license of any club from the […]
