FIFA has put the onus on clubs competing in next summer’s Club World Cup in the United States to resolve any outstanding player contract issues.
World football’s governing body has already adjusted its rules to allow for an interim transfer window between June 1 and June 10, paving the way for players whose contracts expire on June 30 to join another team, including those participating in the tournament that begins on June 15.
If an agreement is reached between two clubs during those 10 days, then a player can be released early from their existing deal. But if a transfer isn’t completed, then teams taking part in the revamped Club World Cup will either have to agree terms on a short-term deal or risk losing the player midway through the tournament.
For example, should Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne — whose contract expires on June 30 — not have his future resolved before the Club World Cup gets underway, then he would only be eligible to feature for the Premier League side until the end date of his contract. But if City can agree terms on either a new long-term deal or one that covers his involvement in the Club World Cup, which concludes on July 14, then he will be able to continue playing.
Although two-week contracts are unusual, FIFA leaves it to national laws where the club is located to determine the minimum duration of a contract. For Premier League clubs, they are governed by UK laws which stipulate there is no minimum length to a fixed-term contract.
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The English Football Association does not have any regulations that impose a minimum length contract, while the Premier League’s rulebook also permits ‘week by week’ contracts, meaning De Bruyne, for example, could sign a two-week deal on July 1.
One red line for FIFA when it comes to player registrations for the Club World Cup, however, is that a player is not allowed to play in the Club World Cup for one team and then sign for another. FIFA’s regulations for the tournament state that should a club lose a player from its squad on June 30, then they will be allowed to replace them.
There is a window between June 27 and July 3 that enables clubs still in the competition to tweak their squad list, which must be a minimum of 26 players and a maximum of 35.
City’s De Bruyne is one of the highest-profile player whose contract ends on June 30 and whose club are involved in the tournament; Real Madrid players Ferland Mendy, Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez are in the same position, as are a number of Bayern Munich players (including Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller and Joshua Kimmich), Atletico Madrid’s Koke, Juventus defender Danilo and Al Hilal’s Neymar — although the Brazilian does have an option to extend his contract by a further year.
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(Top image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
