The days of clubs 'hoarding' young players and mass loaning them out are numbered because of incoming FIFA regulations.
World football's governing body have announced plans to curtail the number of loan deals permitted by clubs per season.
Chelsea are one club who have made use of the loan system to offer young players game time elsewhere, and amassing loan fees in the process. Despite their transfer ban, the Premier League side currently have 27 players out on loan. Sixteen of those players are at clubs outside of England.
That scenario looks set to change in the coming seasons, as FIFA's Football Stakeholders Committee has endorsed a cap on the number and manner of loan deals permitted by clubs.
FIFA's recommendations state:
- to prevent player hoarding and ensure that loans have a valid sporting purpose for youth development as opposed to commercial purposes, limitations on international loans of players aged 22 and older
- as of the 2020/2021 season, a limit of eight international loans in and out, going down to six by the 2022/2023 season, with a maximum of three loans in and three loans out between the same clubs.
The measures will be submitted to FIFA Council for their next meeting on October 24.
FIFA is also looking to tackle the ever-increasing role of agents in the world of football.
The Football Stakeholders Committee has agreed to the following measures:
- establishment of a cap on agents’ commissions (10% of the transfer fee for agents of releasing clubs, 3% of the player’s remuneration for player agents and 3% of the player’s remuneration for agents of engaging clubs);
- limitation of multiple representation to avoid conflicts of interest.
Those recommendations come on top of other proposals that were endorsed last year, namely:
- reintroduction of a mandatory licensing system for agents, which will include further education measures and a requirement for continuing professional development;
- all agents’ commissions to be paid via the FIFA Clearing House, which is currently being developed;
- an effective FIFA resolution system to solve disputes between agents, players and clubs.
