FIFA officially prohibits organizing matches abroad

FIFA has just announced a number of decisions and plans for policies in the football world to respond to the development of the current situation, including a ban on private transfer rules in Spain and tightening player loan contracts.

Among the noteworthy decisions quoted by Marca, FIFA will limit the number of players the club can lend once to the transfer market. Accordingly, the restriction is on loan contracts for players aged 22 and over, in which each team can only borrow or lend 8 players in the 2020-2021 season.

The quota will be reduced to 6 players in the 2022 – 2023 season. A new loan policy has been introduced to encourage player training and help young talents have more opportunities to play at the club.

In addition, FIFA officially prohibits organizing matches overseas, which means that all domestic league matches must be played domestically. FIFA’s decision is based on the fact that the season requires teams to play against each other at home and away, rather than playing in a neutral place like what La Liga initiated last year to bring some immigrating matches to the US to bring financial benefits.

Finally, FIFA has also asked to abolish the rules that allow Spanish clubs to sign players outside the transfer window. Most recently, Barcelona was allowed to sign striker Martin Braithwaite from Leganes in February due to Ousmane Dembele’s long-term injury. This has put Leganes in a difficult position after losing the top striker amidst the battle to relegation. The injustice is the need to recruit players who strengthen the Leganes attack.

According to Marca, this is not the first time FIFA has asked to repeal the regulation in Spanish football. FIFA contacted the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in 2016 to request a halt to the regulation, but was rejected by the organizers of La Liga.