Implement transfer system reform and address other governance-related matters

Whilst we have already noted the paramount importance of player and coach welfare in FIFA’s operations in the half-time report of Goal 1, the protection of the game as a whole has been bolstered by several measures related to both the reform of the transfer system and the role of agents in the game.

The FIFA Clearing House, established in 2022 to centralise and automate financial flows between clubs related to training rewards, made its first payment the following year to French amateur club SC Malesherbois, the EUR 159,990 exceeding the club’s annual budget. Such promotion of financial transparency and integrity in the international transfer systems has increased throughout the first half of President Infantino’s latest mandate to date and are chronicled in a far-reaching report on FIFA Clearing House activity, published in November 2024 on the second anniversary of its inauguration.

During this reporting period, the FIFA Football Agent Regulations (FFAR) also fully came into force. From 1 October 2023 a range of measures including the mandatory use of licensed football agents, the cap on service fees and new provisions to ensure the protection of minors entered football’s legislation, supported by a range of football and political bodies as resolutions to systemic failures in the transfer systems.

Applications for licences in 2024 were far from straightforward, pointing to the robust nature of these measures. Only 40.4% of 10,887 exam applicants were successful during the calendar year and FIFA also opened 1,606 investigations regarding potential failure to comply with the eligibility requirements during the year where, in some cases, individuals were ultimately prevented from taking the exam for having provided football agent services without a licence.

FIFA’s investment in governance analysis to ensure football is fit for contemporary purpose was also illustrated through the modernisation of the regulatory framework for national dispute resolution chambers (NDRC), following the approval by the FIFA Council at its meeting in December 2023. Unchanged for almost two decades, it became increasingly evident that the NDRCs were no longer serving the current needs of all football stakeholders, whose expertise was used to formulate the new framework. 

Similarly, a wide-ranging consultation process was opened in October 2024 focusing on an adaptation of article 17 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP), inviting key stakeholders including representatives from the European Club Association (ECA), FIFPRO and the World Leagues Association to analyse the conclusions to be drawn from the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the Diarra case. Interim regulations were announced in December 2024 and applied with immediate effect.

This concrete example highlights that in addressing each of the Strategic Objectives, FIFA is committed to applying them to ongoing events to ensure a stronger framework for a more robust global football landscape.

The world is changing at a breathtaking speed and the rules governing football must change with it, and it is therefore paramount that regular updates are made to this football regulatory framework to ensure that FIFA and football remains in step with all stakeholder interests across the game.