FIFA tells FAs player contracts will be extended

Spanish radio show El Larguero (The Crossbar) has revealed the contents of a document FIFA sent to football associations around the world. The FIFA working group, which includes clubs, the European Club Associations and member federations, have reached a number of conclusions on possible extensions to footballers contract and the transfer windows, in the light of the coronavirus pandemic that has been all football on ice.

Player contracts to be extended beyond 30 June

The first main point set out in the document is that players' contracts will be automatically extended beyond 30 June and will finish at the end of the season. There is no fixed date for the contracts to end. If a player signs for another club after 30 June, that will not take effect until the end of the season. Where there is a dispute between clubs over a player, the contract the player had in force will take prevalence over the new club they have signed for.

Many domestic leagues are looking at extending their seasons into the summer to make up for the time lost to Covid-19 and allow the current seasons to be completed. However many players' contracts expire on June 30, which would allow players to leave for free. FIFA are keen therefore for the contracts to extended to allow competitions to carry on.

16 week transfer window

The second major point in the document deals with the transfer winder. Each FA will have the freedom to put in place the dates they choose, always provided they do not exceed the 16 weeks established as a maximum by FIFA. The windows can be in August and September in summer, and December and January or January and February in winter.