The world football association FIFA will introduce stricter regulations for the loan of players from the coming season. In particular, the number and duration of lending transactions will be limited. This was decided by the FIFA Council with the German representative Peter Peters on Wednesday before the 72nd ordinary association congress in Doha/Qatar.
FIFA said the new rules, which come into effect on July 1, aim to promote “young player development and sporting balance” and prevent “player hoarding by clubs”. This affects several top European clubs, such as Champions League winners Chelsea.
In addition to the existing regulations, the number of loans between the same clubs during a season will be limited in the future. Accordingly, a club may loan a maximum of three professionals to or from a specific club at the same time.
After a transitional period from July 2024, the upper limit for a club’s loan transactions at any point in the season should be six professionals. Players aged 21 and under and club-trained players are exempt from the restrictions. The term of the loan is limited to a maximum of one year.