Article 19 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (October 2009 edition) states that there are only three (3) exceptions in allowing an International Transfer of a Minor (players under the age of eighteen (18)). They are as follows:
a) The player’s parents move to the country in which the new club is located for reasons not linked to football.
b) The transfer takes place within the territory of the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) and the player is aged between 16 and 18. In this case, the new club must fulfi l the following minimum obligations:
i. It shall provide the player with an adequate football education and/or training in line with the highest national standards.
ii. It shall guarantee the player an academic and/or school and/or vocational education and/or training, in addition to his football education and/or training, which will allow the player to pursue a career other than football should he cease playing professional football.
iii. It shall make all necessary arrangements to ensure that the player is looked after in the best possible way (optimum living standards with a host family or in club accommodation,appointment of a mentor at the club, etc.).
iv. It shall, on registration of such a player, provide the relevant association with proof that it is complying with the aforementioned obligations;
c) The player lives no further than 50km from a national border and the club with which the player wishes to be registered in the neighbouring association is also within 50km of that border. The maximum distance between the player’s domicile and the club’s headquarters shall be 100km. In such cases, the player must continue to live at home and the two associations concerned must give their explicit consent.
FIFA has created a subsidiary entitled FIFA TMS (Transfer Matching System) to monitor the movement of football players, and in particular Minors, through a central database.
Therefore, if a football club affiliated to the Football Association of Wales (FAW) wishes to register a player who is classed as a Minor, (and the player is currently registered for a club affiliated to another national association) then the club in question will need to complete and forward the relevant documents to the FAW.
The FAW forward this documentation onto a sub-committee appointed by the FIFA Players' Status Committee. This sub-committee will then confirm to all parties concerned as to whether the application is approved. If approved, International Clearance can be requested by the FAW to the relevant national association.
The documentation required is determined by which exception the club wishes to make the application (option a) b) or c) from above). The attached document entitled 'Overview of all types of applications in TMS' provides confirmation on what documentation is required.
Set documents are also attached to assist clubs and players in this process.
FIFA TMS has confirmed that a decision by the relevant sub-committee can take between four (4) to six (6) weeks. Therefore, it is advised to make requests as early as possible to the FAW, with all relevant documentation preferably sent via e-mail (in pdf format) to registrations@faw.co.uk
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This document is required for option b) from above only
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This document is required for option b) from above only
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This document is required for option c) from above only
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This document from FIFA TMS highlights the required documentation for clubs to forward onto the FAW when requesting International Clearance for a player under the age of eighteen (18).
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This document is required for all 'first registrations' of a minor (i.e. the player does not possess a UK Passport and the player wishes to register for a football club affiliated to the FAW prior to the age of eighteen (18)
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This document is required for every international transfer of a Minor (player under the age of eighteen (18))
