FIFA is moving toward introducing major changes to Article 17 of its regulations governing player contracts and transfers, seeking to establish a clearer and fairer framework for compensation following unilateral contract terminations.
The revised rules are expected to come into force next January, with football competitions and relevant authorities required to bring their regulations and contracts into line with the new framework.
Under the proposed system, compensation would be determined according to the circumstances of each individual case, limiting the use of excessively high financial demands that could prevent a player from securing a transfer or effectively force them to remain at their club.
The initiative follows growing disputes in the transfer market over release clauses and clubs’ refusal to negotiate the departures of players seeking moves. One notable example was the dispute surrounding Argentine forward Julian Alvarez during the latest transfer window.
FIFA also aims to reduce legal conflicts between clubs and players by drawing on lessons from previous landmark cases, particularly the Lassana Diarra case, which had a major impact on Europe’s transfer regulations.
The proposed reforms have received support from player representatives, with FIFA seeking to make compensation calculations more transparent, consistent and predictable after years of case-by-case assessments without uniform criteria.
