Doha (dpa) – The world football association FIFA has tightened the international regulations for the loan of players for the coming season.
From July 1st, among other things, the possible length of a loan will be limited to one year and the number of players that a club can loan out. That’s what the FIFA Council decided with German member Peter Peters at the Qatar World Cup venue in Doha. The new rules “are intended to promote the development of young players and sporting balance and to prevent clubs from hoarding players,” FIFA said in a statement.
In the future, a loan must cover at least the period between two registration periods – this means a half-series for Germany. At the same time, a player may be loaned out for a maximum of one year. In addition, it is forbidden that professionals who have already been loaned out are passed on to third-party clubs.
In the future, a club may only loan three players to a specific club during a season. In addition, the total number of loans per season for each club is limited: From the 2022/23 season, a club may hire out or hire out a maximum of eight professionals. That number drops to six professionals from July 1, 2024. Players under the age of 21 and players that a club has trained itself are not covered by the rule. The new rules must be incorporated into national regulations by each FIFA member association within three years.
Several top European clubs rely heavily on loaning out players. On its website, for example, Chelsea FC names a total of 24 professionals who are under contract with the Londoners and are currently playing for other clubs.